01x01 - Mountain of Light Part One

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The name Kohinoor is a Persian name
that was given to it.

It was a brilliant name.

I mean imagine
a mountain of light.

The name Kohinoor was not there,

but the history
was already in it's making.

Our Kohinoor,
the biggest diamond was

the most precious item
at the time.

Loot of Delhi was notorious.

It was the largest,
the most dramatic loot

in any campaign,
in history at that point.

The Mughal sources are silent
in reference to this matter.

The fights directly started
to obtain the Kohinoor.

Kohinoor is a symbol of empire.
It's a symbol of power.

The Britishers were very possessive
about the Kohinoor.

They had a Mafia style,
blackmail strategy.

People wanted
to believe in the curse.

Indian prince who has surrendered
the Kohinoor to you.

That has then become the basis

of all subsequent British claims
to ownership.

They are essentially saying
that this was now a gift.

I don't think it was a gift,
I think it was a staged act.

If people want to call this a gift,
I don't know then what is a ransom!

Therefore, the Kohinoor
belongs to Pakistan.

It belonged to India even then
and even now.

Now, the Kohinoor was beginning
to write a new chapter in history.

Kohinoor.

I don't think anyone is ignorant
of its existence today.

This diamond hasn't been
in India for the past 170 years

but it is recorded
in India's medieval

and modern history,

at a level as high as the identity
and the pride

of the greatest empires
in the Indian subcontinent.

This is the history of the most
famous diamond in the world.

Which continues to shine
in hiding at, The Tower Of London,

as the symbol of conquest.

Welcome to the unseen history
of the Kohinoor.

I, Manoj Bajpayee, greet
and accompany you on the journey

as the narrator of Kohinoor's,

unheard and unseen story.

History is as deep as it is vast.

The mysterious world underground,
which bears witness

to the changes of millions of years.

Diamonds are formed at a depth
of around 150-200 kilometres

where the temperature is very high.

After a process of thousands
of years under the pressure

of lakhs of tons of soil carbon
atoms bind together strongly

to form one sparkling diamond.

Volcanic activities that occur
from time to time cough up diamonds

to the surface of the earth.

With a keen eye and a stroke of luck

one can get hold of a diamond.

The Kohinoor must have formed
in such a manner.

Exceptionally beautiful!

A fascinatingly pure creation
of nature

that must have taken
millions of years to form.

It was gifted to us as
a blessing from the earth.

It is believed that
around 5,000 years ago,

in the Golconda region
of Southern India

this diamond was found.

The biggest diamond mine up
until the 17th century,

at a time when India was
the sole subcontinent in the world

mining pure diamonds.

Located in this area
where this diamond was found

came to be known as Kollur mine
at a later point in time.

The largest raw diamond found until
that time weighing approximately

793 carats, which weighs merely
105.6 carats today.

We have to cross
this journey in between.

Some stories and incidents related
to this excursion

will make it a thrilling journey.

I promise you that.

To move forward we need
to first take a step back in time.

Approximately 800 years ago,

towards the Kakatiya dynasty.

The Kakatiyas were
a very powerful dynasty

of the area we know as
Andhra Pradesh or Telangana today.

Kakatiyas were
a rich dynasty, you know

because they were doing well,
politically stable.

So, Alauddin Khilji would target
a place like this.

He was intelligent and astute.
He wanted to make his mark

so he felt conquering Southern India

would be a great move.

His army was ferocious.
He had very good commanders.

Malik Kafur,
the person I am referring to

was one of his commanders

who was bought at
a sl*ve trade fair in Gujarat.

Malik Kafur was a eunuch.

Perhaps there might
have been an element

of physical personal closeness

which prompted Alaudin Khilji
to trust him so much.

This Bhadrakali temple was
originally built by the Chalukyas.

However, when the Kakatiyas
established their reign over there

they declared Bhadrakali
as their state deity.

This deity was ornately decorated.

This diamond
was studded in that icon.

This big diamond
was studded in the left eye.

He sent Malik Kafur with a huge army
to attack these states

solely for their wealth.

The first thing that
all the attackers did

was destroy the state symbol.

The state symbol during those times
would either be a temple or a deity.

When Malik Kafur learnt

about the wealth gifted
to the Bhadrakali temple,

he headed for the temple
with his troops with the intention

of destroying the culture
and ransacking the wealth.

When Malik Kafur entered the temple

he saw something beyond
his imaginations.

Even after plundering
all the treasure offered

to the Goddess he was unable
to take his eyes off one spot.

Malik Kafur destroyed the temple
and took it from there.

It's sheer size

and shine was so attractive,
that any king would want to own it.

On 23rd June 1310, Malik Kafur
presented the treasure he looted

from King Pratap Rudra
to his Sultan.

He also presented that diamond

which paled every treasure
he had plundered.

Alauddin Khilji loved
this gift from Malik Kafur,

and upon touching it,
his future was betrothed with it.

Alauddin's economic policies
were fairly good for commerce.

Any individual
who is so sound in economics,

then he would anyways value
anything which is precious.

Although he has
a very successful run

if you look at the end of his family
and you see how he was k*lled.

Alauddin died
and Malik Kafur usurped the throne.

He might have taken
the Kohinoor too.

Malik Kafur was assassinated
by the palace guards.

The Khilji dynasty spiralled
in a continuous decline

and the decline was rapid.

Mubarak Khilji became
the Sultan after him.

He had a terrible death.
His wives were r*ped

younger sons were
all k*lled and massacred.

If you think that the family
possessed the Kohinoor

at this point in time,
it wasn't doing any good to them.

"The throne that you are reigning
on today is but a temporary high."

The Khilji dynasty was followed
by the Tughlaq dynasty

which was followed
by the Syyed dynasty

until the Lodhi Sultanate
came to power in Delhi.

Love for the throne
of Delhi is very old.

There is no mention whatsoever,

of this diamond between 1320-1526 AD
in any literature.

Don't be surprised.
It is the tendency of this diamond

to isolate itself from the pages
of history several times.

We turn the pages of history
by approximately 200 years

and this diamond resurfaces.

The Sultanate era
was on its last legs

and the Mughal empire
was about to dawn.

Ibrahim Lodhi, the last Sultan
of the Lodhi dynasty

who was about to lose both,
the throne of Delhi

and the large sparkling diamond
in the coffers

of the Capital city Agra.

This diamond was going
to find a new ruler.

Babur was a Mughal King.

The Mughals came from Uzbekistan.

Ibrahim Lodhi intercepted him
in Panipat and a w*r took place.

Babur had very good cannons.

He divided his army
into smaller battalions.

So it wasn't as though
one was faced with a crowd,

of 1,00,000 with no formation.

So everyone had a line of command.

It was a technological w*r
and Babur had technology.

Elephants are terrified of fire.

When they started firing the cannons
the elephants at the opposite end

started running amok
and trampled their own people.

For this reason
they were defeated very quickly.

Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur,

the ruler who established
the Mughal empire in India,

and remained the topic
of discussions for decades in India.

Having crossed the Khyber pass,

Babur lands in India
with explosions.

Which we know
as the First Battle of Panipat.

21st April, 1526

marks the end of the Delhi Sultanate
in the battle,

with the fall of Ibrahim Lodhi.

Babur knew that the coffers of
the Delhi Sultanate were in Agra.

He immediately sent his oldest son

Nasiruddin Mohammad Humayun
to capture Agra.

Humayun rushes with his troops
of 5,000 men and captures Agra.

The Afghans who were holding
the Fort of Agra were still unaware

that these people had won
the battle of Panipat

and that Ibrahim Lodhi
had been beheaded.

They were disinclined
to handover the Fort to them.

Humayun told them
we will camp outside the Fort.

So while he was there,

there was the family of Vikramjit,
the King of Gwalior

who was actually an associate
of Ibrahim Lodhi,

and died fighting with him
in the First Battle of Panipat.

This diamond was with his family.

I do not believe that because the
treasury would be with Lodhi's men.

So Humayun finds this big diamond
in the treasury that he captured.

When Babur arrives there,

Humayun gifts him the treasure
and the massive diamond.

It is recorded in the Baburnama
when he sees the diamond

he expresses shock at the size
and luster of the diamond.

Babur was aware of the diamond
and it belonged to Alauddin Khilji.

So that means even though
the name Kohinoor was not there

but the history was already
in its making.

Legacy. A legacy was in
the making with this diamond.

Baburnama is the first place

where we find written information
about this diamond.

Many years ago,

this diamond was in the possession
of Alauddin Khilji.

It is verified
through this biography.

According to recorded history
this diamond was

named for the first
time in about 300 years.

It came to be known
as, "Babur's diamond."

Upon receiving the diamond Babur
made a bewildering decision.

Babur gave this historical diamond
a name,

but distanced it from himself.

Babur instantly returns
the diamond to Humayun.

He wasn't interested
in these things,

but Humayun was charmed by it.

Despite, winning
the First Battle of Panipat,

Babur's difficulties did not end.

Humayun falls ill.

When his physician says he won't
survive as he is critical,

someone suggests Babur that
he donate his most precious item.

The Kohinoor,
was the biggest diamond

which was the most precious item
at the time.

Babur said I would give something
which is even more precious

but it is not the Kohinoor.

He prayed to God to pass on
Humayun's illness to him

and take his own life instead.

Babur evaluated the diamond's worth,
as lesser than his own life.

Everyone has a right
to their own decision.

Babur dies and Humayun recovers,

to become the next
King of the Mughal empire.

For the next 10 years

there weren't too many ups
and downs in Humayun's life.

After 10 years there was turmoil.

Humayun then had his own problems

because he had a section
in the nobility

who never felt confident,

that Humayun will be able to rule
them and take the empire ahead.

In the battle of Chausa,
which also Humayun lost

he lost also women from the harem,

he also lost one of his daughters
called Aqiqa,

and he was completely heartbroken.

The final nail in the coffin
is the battle of Kannauj in 1540

in which he loses against Sher Shah.

He lost and not only did he have
to leave Delhi and Agra

but had to leave India as well.

One basic thing about the period
when Humayun leaves India

is that he leaves with his treasure.

He kept some important
things in his possession.

One such thing was what
we know as Babur's diamond.

All the precious stones were being
carried in an embroidered pouch.

In this period money means armies.

The history of that diamond
was not important at the time.

The market value of that diamond
was more important to him.

Two and a half days of food
for everyone in the world.

That was the estimated value
of Babur's diamond.

There are several ways
to appraise things.

Another incident associated with the
diamond took place on the journey.

It is believed,

that Humayun sought help from
King Rao Maldev Rathore of Jodhpur.

King Maldev demanded
some precious stones

and Babur's diamond.

The words Humayun uttered in

the presence
of the King's Ambassador

will forever be associated
with this diamond.

Humayun said this diamond
can neither be bought nor sold.

It can only be obtained
by the edge of a sword or as a gift.

That is exactly
what had happened up until now.

During this treacherous journey
Humayun headed to Iran

to seek help and refuge.

When Humayun arrives in Persia

he is, you know, received very well
because he has a history of his own.

He is, you know, the Mughal Prince.

He comes from the family
of Timur and Mongols.

Also the Persian empire
had a history

of having helped Babur right
through on a number of occasions.

He helped him in every way.
He bestowed Humayun with top status.

It is believed that he gave
this particular diamond

as a way of thanks to Shah Tahmasp,
the ruler of Persia.

This was the first time in years,

the diamond was distanced
from the Indian subcontinent.

It appeared that the diamond would
never return to its birth place

but nobody knew its character.

Neither then, nor now.

Shah Tahmasp took
the decision to send this diamond

to the Deccan region
of the Indian subcontinent.

Once again Babur's diamond
was going to return to the place

where it began its journey.

That was the plan.

So you find that Kohinoor probably
was sent by Shah Tahmasp

to one of the rulers of Ahmednagar.

Because there was a lot of violence
between Sunnis and Shias back then.

The Mughals were Sunnis.

The Nizam Shah
of that time was a Shia,

and Tahmasp wanted
to win his friendship.

Hussain Nizam Shah,
the Sultan of Ahmednagar

was going to become
the new possessor of this diamond.

Mehtar Jamal was chosen for the task
and was assigned the responsibility

of carrying a message
and the diamond.

Mehtar Jamal pulled the reins and...

...he never reached Ahmednagar.

Obviously, if he did not arrive,
so didn't the diamond.

A massive manhunt was initiated.

Soldiers looked for the diamond
all over the world

but the diamond had vanished
into thin air.

As was its character,

a diamond weighing 320 rattis,
simply vanished.

Where did it vanish?

Nobody knew then,
and nobody knows now.

"Don't be shattered if

I get lost in a crowd.

Don't look for me if,

I don't want to be found."

The Mughal sources are silent
in reference to this matter.

I've not read about it
in any sources of the time.

As long as this diamond dwelled
in a major royal house

we could follow its journey.

But the moment it got out
of the hands of high-profile people

and reached the black market of,
you know, precious things

we lose track of it.

And then it's going to re-emerge
again into prominence

when it comes to a diamond appraiser
which is Mir Jumla.

Roughly 100 years have passed
since Babur's diamond disappeared.

The story that ended
with Mehtar Jamal

resumes here with Mir Jumla.

In this new story once again a huge
and sparkling diamond

is recorded in the pages of history.

Exactly the same kind of diamond
that disappeared 100 years ago.

An interesting fact is that the
journey of this diamond too begins

in South India just like the diamond
of the Kakatiya dynasty

and its destination too was going
to be the Capital city of Delhi

just like before.

Well, Mir Jumla was an Iranian.
He was a merchant.

He had then become
a statesman in Golconda.

He controlled Karnataka.

He had so much of property
and so much of power

that he was literally
giving competition

to the Ruler of Golconda Qutb Shah.

And what Mir Jumla was afraid of
was that his territory in Karnataka

would be taken away by Qutb Shah,

and so he went over
to the Mughal side.

Mir Jumla wanted
a slice of the larger scenario

of Mughal politics for himself.

He wanted to win over not only
the friendship of Prince Aurangzeb

but also Emperor Shah Jahan.

There was a peculiar custom
of that time period.

When a person visited the King
he would come bearing gifts.

Shah Jahan...

...was the new possessor
of the diamond gifted

to him by Mir Jumla.

There was no shortage of precious
stones in the Mughal coffers.

The coffers were full of gems won
in battles

against several Indian provinces

and gifts received
from many countries.

This diamond that Shah Jahan
received as a gift

was recorded as the largest diamond
in the Mughal coffers.

And the pages of history
started opening up again.

Discussions were held as
to whether this was Babur's diamond

which had disappeared years ago.

If that was the case,
then it was akin

to regaining a lost Mughal heirloom.

But there was a problem here.

The weight of this diamond was
different from the missing diamond

because this diamond could surely
be smaller than the earlier diamond

but how could it be bigger.

There are two very controversial
facts in Indian history.

The first was its weight.

The measuring unit of a ratti
changed continuously over time.

Babur's diamond was known
to be 320 rattis.

The diamond that Mir Jumla gave them
was 360 rattis.

Double role? Yeah.

We must understand
the measuring units of weight

before coming to any conclusion.

How did this diamond go
from 793 carat to 320 ratti

or 787 carat to 360 carat?

This information is not found
anywhere in the pages of history.

Precious gems were weighed in rattis
in the Indian subcontinent

which went on to be weighed
in miskal and carat as well.

Also new measures were added
with the passage of time.

The basis of these measures
differed regionally.

For example in the Mughal empire
40 rattis constituted to one miskal.

Whereas in other regions
one miskal comprised of 24 ratti.

Babur's diamond was 320 ratti,
while Shah Jahan's diamond

was weighed
at 319.5 ratti by Tavernier.

This diamond was said
to be 224 ratti in Tarikh-E-Farishta

and Manucci said it was 360 carat.

No picture or description
is found of Babur's diamond

to make an accurate comparison
with Shah Jahan's diamond.

But some things are the same.

The sparkle of both the diamonds
and the large shape.

Taking decisions isn't very easy,
however, I have taken my decision.

What about you?

The experts?

There must have been
a slight difference

in weights during that time

but it is certainly
the same diamond.

I do not believe this.

It is comprehensible
for a diamond weighing 320 rattis

to weigh 314 or 310 rattis later on.
Did the diamond grow?

My feeling is that it
is from Shah Jahan's time

which means 17th century.

The good thing is that hereafter,
we don't have to worry

about mention of this diamond
in the pages of history.

In 1656 AD,
Shah Jahan got this diamond.

Between 1628 AD and 1635 AD,

a throne was made by Shah Jahan.

Some things have to be experienced,
they can't be described.

Presenting the world's
most expensive and royal throne.

This throne was made
for the privy council chamber.

It was worth about 20 million
rupees at that time.

Almost twice the cost
of building the Taj Mahal.

This throne made using
1200 kilograms of gold,

was embellished with various gems

such as pearls, rubies,
emeralds and sapphires.

"Takht", which means throne
and "Taus", which means peacock.

Takht-E-Taus.

It is also known as,
"Mayur Singhaasan."

Look at the top
of this marvellous throne.

This rare diamond was studded
in one of the peacock's eye.

According to E. T. Whittaker,
an English mathematician,

this diamond was studded
on the Peacock throne.

During the reign
of Shah Jahan's son, Aurangzeb.

Historians and travellers
came to see this throne

and described it in
their own way on paper.

Multiple accounts and testimonies
of people gave two theories.

The first was that this huge diamond
was studded on this throne

and the other was that this diamond
wasn't studded on this throne.

There is bilateral symmetry
on the Peacock throne.

Which means there is a peacock
on each side.

If it is bilateral symmetry,

then if the Kohinoor was studded on
one side while a lighter stone was

studded on the other side, it would
ruin the aesthetics of the throne.

So I believe that
this diamond was very big

but it wasn't studded
on the Peacock throne.

This is clouded history,

because we really don't know
what the Peacock throne was like,

what exactly was studded where.

Often people say, it was placed
on the Peacock throne.

It's very unlikely that
an important diamond like that

would simply be put
on the Peacock throne.

I don't know what happened to it.
My father once saw it in Tehran

and he said it was impressive

but whether it is
the same Peacock throne which

Shah Jahan had or some replica.

The presentation
of Kohinoor to Shah Jahan,

literally almost, you know,
coincides with the beginning

of the w*r of succession amongst
the sons of Shah Jahan.

Shah Jahan was already planning
that he would divide the empire

and responsibilities in such
a way that there is no bloodshed

of the kind that in fact
he had unleashed,

over his brothers
to become the emperor.

He wanted to avoid that.

And precisely that is what
is going to happen to him.

Shah Jahan's son Aurangzeb,
was the new possessor of...

...this big diamond and the throne,

who had only one goal
the throne of Delhi.

Shah Jahan falls ill.
Aurangzeb rushes.

Aurangzeb was third in line

so he didn't stand
a chance of being King

but he was a devious man.

Nobody could stop Aurangzeb.
He defeated all one after the other.

After that Shah Jahan
had to surrender.

An important fact is that when he
made Shah Jahan surrender

he had him confined in the Red Fort
of Agra and cut his water supply.

So the water wouldn't go inside
and many other episodes took place

during that time, and Aurangzeb

totally displaced him
from the throne.

So if you think of the ill luck
that Kohinoor might have

brought to Shah Jahan,
it's absolutely massive.

Aurangzeb declared
himself as the Mughal King.

During his reign Aurangzeb
assigned the responsibility

of reshaping this diamond to
a Venetian lapidary, Hortense Borgia

and this was the beginning
of shaping the diamond.

This is the first evidence
of written information

on the cutting
or polishing of this diamond.

It was expected that the diamond
must be polished beautifully.

When Aurangzeb looked at
that diamond very enthusiastically

he could not take his eyes off it.

Hortense Borgia,
cut the diamond so badly,

that is reduced its size
to 186 carat.

Hortense was expecting a big reward
and remuneration

but instead Aurangzeb seized
his property and wealth.

That was his punishment
for cutting the diamond so badly.

Sadly now this diamond
was stripped off the title

of being the largest diamond
in the world.

Nevertheless, this diamond was
still among the biggest diamonds.

It was called the, "Mughal cut."

Aurangzeb was named Jahangir
by his grandfather,

which means,
"Adorner of the throne."

He would have never
sat on the throne.

He has a very troubled life
because he cannot trust anybody.

He is going to be, you know,

fighting against his own children
so many times.

Fighting against allies.

And eventually he follows
his son and arrives in the Deccan

because he had
a son who had rebelled.

He said I am going
to leave everything in Delhi

and I am going to go
and pursue this.

And he went to Deccan
and thereafter,

he could never come back to Agra.

He could never come back to Delhi.
He could never live the life

that he had thought
that he is destined to live.

Aurangzeb resided in
the South for 25 years.

This was the principle cause,

for the decline
of the Mughal empire.

Some scholars have termed it
as the, "Deccan ulcer."

When Aurangzeb dies in 1707,

the empire was already
on the brink of collapse

and there were a number of people
who thought

that they could take over.

As a Mughal King Aurangzeb's
exchequer shifts to Bahadur Shah.

Which obviously means that
the diamond is also transferred.

When Bahadur Shah passes away

Jahandar Shah succeeds to
the throne.

With the change of so many kings

it is surprising it did not get out
of the hands of the Mughals.

During this period two
of the emperors

passed away within six months,

due to gastric disorders caused
by overeating.

The fact that the Kohinoor got
to Muhammad Shah Rangeela

is happenstance.

Muhammad Shah took over
the throne of Delhi in 1719 AD.

The entity of
the Mughal dynasty was shaken

owing to
the negligence of this ruler.

Muhammad Shah became
the King at a very tender age.

He wasn't trained for the role

and his interests lay
in music and dance.

The personal quality of an Emperor
should be one of a Commander.

He did not possess this quality.

Hence, some sources in
the 18th century nicknamed

him "Rangeela".

The system had become hollow
and it was irreparable.

The Mughal King's army weakened.
Their numbers dwindled.

What was once a disciplined army,
came to a systematic end.

The Mughal empire was crumbling.

The states were declaring
their own independence.

By this time the Dutch,
French, Portuguese

as well as the British
had rooted themselves

in the Indian Subcontinent.

Rangeela was the last Mughal King,

who came to possess
that rare diamond

and the Mughal treasure
accumulated over the years.

All of it was on the verge
of being plundered.

All of it!

Nader Shah Afshar's

ambition was to conquer Delhi

with the intention of plundering it.

Nader Shah chose the same trail
that his predecessors chose,

which was the entryway
to the Eastern side of Sindh.

The Khyber pass.

They could easily cross
over the top of Khyber pass.

Indo-Greek, Parthians, Shakas
and the Kushanas

all of them came via
this path after Alexander.

Nader Shah's main army
crossed over with him,

however he sent another
army unit via Bolan.

Akbar sent pensions to all

the tribes living on the
mountains of these two passes

so they wouldn't come down.

But by the time
Muhammad Shah Rangeela

ascended the throne the pension
was siphoned off by the nobles.

This resulted in them
allowing access to Nader Shah.

Go ahead and aggravate the Mughals.

Muhammad Shah knew
that Nader Shah's power was growing

but still he is not bothered
to organise his army.

It took him 11 months
just to come to Karnal.

The Mughal Court would preside daily
for 11 months just to argue

over who should be
the Commander of the Mughal army.

They had to pay
a heavy price for this.

The diamond was completely worthless
as the lives that would be lost

and the destruction caused in
the attack was a huge price to pay.

Nader Shah's army destroys
the whole of Delhi.

They scoured the gold ceilings
in the private chambers

and the public chambers
in the Red fort.

Ten thousand

Delhi civilians were slaughtered
before the end of the day.

This statistical data is very less,
in my opinion.

The loot of Delhi was notorious.

It was the largest,
most dramatic loot

in any campaign
in history at that point.

When Aurangzeb was king,
his revenues exceeded

those of every single
European Monarch put together.

It is said that the people of Persia
didn't have to pay tax

for 20 years afterwards

because how much was looted
by the empire.

That included the Peacock throne
and the Kohinoor diamond.

India wasn't called
the Golden bird without reason.

Nader Shah had become
the sole owner

of the world's largest treasure.

This certainly called
for a celebration.

It was during this time

that he received secret information
from a courtesan called Nur Bai.

"Pardon my life, sir,

but you have a mere pittance
without that diamond.

It is priceless.

There is no other diamond
like it in the world."

He plotted a trap
and lured Rangeela into it.

It is said that

turbans were exchanged
as a mark of friendship.

This exchange constituted
much more than just turbans.

Rangeela's turban
and the diamond in it,

both belonged to Nadir Shah now.

"Naam Bade Aur Darshan Chote!",
meaning Great cry little wool

We see many
such examples around us

however this was
a case of great cry and no wool.

Finally, we come to
the naming of the diamond.

When Nader Shah held
this dazzling diamond in his hands

he uttered some Persian words

which became the identity
of this diamond for perpetuity.

"Koh-i-Noor."

Mountain of light.

Now, this diamond has an identity.

The name Kohinoor is a Persian name
that was given to it.

The light caused it to dazzle.

"Koh" means mountain or hill,
and light is called "Noor."

It was a brilliant name.

I mean imagine a mountain of light.

Nader Shah knew what he was doing
when he named this diamond.

I think the Kohinoor
is a symbol of empire.

It's a symbol of power.

If the Kohinoor delved
into its own history

it might have told its acquirer,
don't take me.

I will not stay with you.

I am not loyal to anyone.
I am disloyal.

"Let me embrace these words.

I have waited ages for a name."

Kohinoor, officially it has a name.

On the 5th of March 1739 AD,

this diamond embarked
on a fresh journey along

with a loot worth approximately
700 million.

But this was no easy journey.

The treasure was so enormous
that soldiers tapped into it

and stashed it away.

They planned to retrieve
it if they returned.

They were crossing a bridge
over the Chenab river,

when it broke from flooding.

Hundreds of soldiers, scores
of animals lugging the treasure

and a bounty of precious
articles flowed away in the water,

yet a substantial sized treasure
and the Kohinoor reached Persia.

Nader Shah returned safely,
despite losing a camel

and many artefacts
in the flood, it was Kohinoor's

the effect which made sure
he returned with maximum wealth.

Nader Shah fought many battles.

He didn't remain idle
after returning from here.

Later on in his life,
he became slightly demented.

He couldn't succeed against
the Ottomans.

When he lost Iraq,
he was not the same man.

He is betrayed and assassinated.

"In your mind resounds your name,

every particle shines
with the same!"

Nader Shah, who was asleep
in the world's most expensive tent

was beheaded by his
own men on the 20th of June, 1647.

The end of a story on the heap
of the world's largest treasure.

The Kohinoor finds
a new possessor with this end.

Shahrukh Mirza.

It is believed that a eunuch named,
Agha Mohammad tortures

and assassinates Shahrukh Mirza
for not disclosing

the whereabouts
of the Kohinoor and other gems.

Many historians refuse to believe
Shahrukh Mirza's account to be true

but it is certain that

a trend of obtaining
the Kohinoor at any cost

and not wanting
to give it up had begun.

Ahmad Khan Abdali was
the next possessor of the Kohinoor.

Abdali was a loyal Commander
of Nader Shah,

with his Afghan troops.

Nadir Shah was a Durrani

and Ahmad Shah renamed
his Abdali tribe as Durrani.

Post Nader Shah's death
his entire empire collapses

like a house of cards.

When Ahmed Shah learns about
the problem he rushes to the harem

he carts off the Kohinoor
and other wealth with him.

Now, this diamond
became associated with w*r

and was being used as an armlet.

The belief was if a man would wear

the diamond on his arm in that form

he would succeed in battle.

Ahmad Shah declared
himself emperor of Afghanistan

following which
he attacked India eight times.

The Kohinoor was always on his arm.

After Ahmed Shah his son Taimur Shah
inherited the Kohinoor

which later passed on
to his son Zaman Shah Durrani.

The Kohinoor had gained
a huge reputation

and the struggle to acquire it,
was even bigger.

Now, fights started simply
to obtain the Kohinoor.

Even within families

who would k*ll people
in order to have it.

Zaman Shah was in no way
competent enough to be the Sultan.

Zaman Shah's allies betrayed
him over and over again.

Ashiq captures him in his own fort,
Shinwari Fort.

And there was
a political reason for it.

The principle reason,

for this was the wealth
and especially the Kohinoor.

He was persistently pressurized
to hand the Kohinoor over

but Zaman Shah
was unwilling to do so.

When Shah Zaman
was being deposed, and was blinded

he is said to have hidden
it in the crack of the wall.

He was prepared to lay down his life
but refused to give it

to his brother who was his enemy.

Nobody can have the Kohinoor
if I can't have it.

And this actually happened.

The Kohinoor did not belong
to anyone for a while.

It remained in the crack
of the fort walls for a long time.

Neither did it adorn anything

nor was it the symbol
of anyone's power.

It had fallen
from the great heights.

Silently,

glistening to the negligible light
falling on the fort's walls.

The storm outside was a contrast
to the serenity over here.

A humungous search campaign
was afoot

and Shah Shujah Durrani
was responsible for it.

Shah Zaman's younger brother
who wanted to even the score

for his older brother's
tribulations,

in addition to obtaining
the Kohinoor at any cost.

The fort was searched
with a fine-tooth comb

but the Kohinoor remained missing.

So he demolished
Ashiq Fort at Shinwari.

There are times when we look
for things all over the place

only to realise they were right
in front of us all the time.

The Kohinoor was right there
under the debris of the jail's wall.

A mullah who was passing
by mistook it for a shining stone

and took it away with him.

You might find it hard to believe

this but he used it as
a paperweight.

Everything has a value,

but one just needs
to know its worth.

The investigating soldiers found
the Kohinoor at the mullah's house.

The soldiers proudly presented
the Kohinoor to Shah Shujah.

Shah Shujah's
political rise destabilizes

and he in fact loses Kabul

and whatever else
that he had captured.

And he is at zero.

Nevertheless,
the Kohinoor remains with him,

because in this period
money means men.

You can build the greatest army
if you have money.

And he is on the run
with this diamond.

Shah Shujah didn't want
to lose this diamond at any cost.

He lost a big battle.

And both his importance
and his reign

slipped away from his hands.

The only thing he retained
was the Kohinoor.

He was roaming
around Northern India,

which was Durrani territory.

Ata Mohammad, King of Kashmir
uses deceit to capture him.

When Shah Shujah didn't reveal
the whereabouts of the diamond

he was handed over
to Ata Muhammad Khan.

Just like one policeman follows
another to interrogate a prisoner.

They tell him to try
as he wasn't talking.

Even at this point,
Shujah did not talk.

Only one person could
help Shujah escape from prison.

The Lion of Punjab.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Hold your attention,
the story of Kohinoor hasn't ended.