Kohinoor. A word, a diamond, an integral piece of history to date, piques curiosity, myths and even controversy. The largest and most valuable diamond in the world sparkles with relevancy. The diamond, an integral part of the British jewels, no longer adorned by the royalty, perhaps because of a curse, is once again in the news. For long, people have speculated its origins. And now, the latest piece of news hints that the Kohinoor (Koh-i-Noor) may have originated from Kollur village in Karnataka. Here’s more to it.
Kollur Village In Karnataka, The Birthplace Of World’s Most Valuable Diamond, Kohinoor?
A report by The New Indian Express throws light on the birthplace of Kohinoor, the world’s most talked about diamond. Historians and researchers for long claimed that Kohinoor was mined in Kollur. This is a tiny village nestled in Sahapur taluk of Karnataka’s Yadgir district. This interesting claim gained a lot of traction. So much so, that the Karnataka government is keen to investigate it and even transform the site into a tourist centre.
Bhaskar Rao Mudbool, a senior advocate from Shahapur is on a mission to convince the Karnataka government about the need to set up a memorial spot at the place where the diamond, Kohinoor was believed to have been mined. On November 9, Mudbool met HK Patil, the Tourism Minister. He narrated the fascinating story to the tourism minister and even showed documents to prove the claim. According to Bhaskar Rao Mudbool, the birthplace of Kohinoor is Kollur nestled on the banks of the river Krishna.
One of the documents presented to prove his claim is the book ‘A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar) — A Contribution to the History of India’ by Robert Sewell. According to this book, the world’s most famous diamond was found in Kollur probably in 1656 AD. A Persian immigrant named, Mir Jumla who owned the mine, found the diamond. He later presented the uncut diamond, weighing 756 carats to Emperor Shah Jahan.
Another book, ‘Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond’ authored by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand also credits Kollur to be the birthplace of Kohinoor. As per this book, the diamond originating from Kollur mines in Karnataka was presented uncut at 787 carats.
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Karnataka Government May Turn Village Into Tourist Centre
The report by TNIE, further states that Bhaskar Rao Mudbool also presented a letter dated 27-01-2011. The letter written by the then tahsildar of Shahapur states that on the depths of the banks of river Krishna, lies a diamond mine. So, he prohibited sand mining on private and government lands from Markal village to Sangam (D).
So, after closely examining these facts, Samiti members have installed a board in Kollur informing everyone that Kohinoor was found there. Rao further urges the government to establish Kollur as a tourist centre, develop a garden, and even set up a pillar crowned with a beautiful replica of Kohinoor.
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Now, that we have substantial evidence about the birthplace of Kohinoor, it’s safe to say that there is a very high possibility that Kohinoor was mined in Kollur village, Karnataka. Would you like to visit this hamlet if turned into a tourist centre?
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva & Wikimedia Commons (Picture used for representation)
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