Refuting the widely circulated narrative of the Kohinoor being gifted to the British in the middle of the 19th century, William Dalrymple, historian and author, has argued that the world famous diamond was forcibly removed from India.
Dalrymple, co-author of the recently published Kohinoor: The Story of the World's Most Infamous Diamond, has also refuted the Modi government's submission that the Kohinoor was "neither stolen nor forcibly taken by British rulers."
In April, Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar told the Supreme Court that the Kohinoor was "given by the successors of Maharaja Ranjit Singh to East India Company in 1849 as compensation for helping them in the Sikh wars."
"This is an unhistorical statement, strikingly unhistoric," Dalrymple told IANS, while describing the diamond as a "symbol of looting of colonial times."
Dalrymple and his co-author, Anita Anand, have pieced together that the diamond was not gifted by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who was already dead when the diamond was removed from India. Instead, the authors believe that the British took it from his frightened son, 10-year-old Maharaja Duleep Singh, on March 29, 1849.
Anand told IANS that the British felt "uneasy" about how the diamond was removed from India. "There was some feeling that it was immoral. They felt guilty. The Queen felt so guilty that she didn't wear it," she said.
7 Incredible Pictures From National Geographic’s Best Photos Of 2016
Moscow Rooftoppers(01 of07)
Open Image ModalKirill Vselensky perches on a cornice in Moscow as Dima Balashov gets the shot. The 24-year-olds, risktakers known as rooftoppers, celebrate their feats on Instagram. (credit:Gerd Ludwig /National Geographic)
Hiker national park(02 of07)
Open Image ModalWithin sight of downtown Seoul, South Korea’s capital and a hub of modern stressful life, salesman Sungvin Hong rests after a hike in Bukhansan National Park. (credit:Lucas Foglia/National Geographic)
Panda Conservation(03 of07)
Open Image ModalYe Ye, a 16-year-old giant panda, lounges in a wild enclosure at a conservation center in China’s Wolong Nature Reserve. (credit:Ami Vitale/National Geographic)
Storm over river(04 of07)
Open Image ModalAs an evening storm lights up the sky near Wood River, Nebraska, about 413,000 sandhill cranes arrive to roost in the shallows of the Platte River. (credit:Randy Olson/National Geographic)
Wolves feeding bison(05 of07)
Open Image Modal (credit:Lucas Foglia/National Geographic)
Matsigenka girl(06 of07)
Open Image ModalA pet saddleback tamarin hangs on to Yoina Mameria Nontsotega as the Matsigenka girl takes a dip in the Yomibato River, deep inside Peru’s Manú National Park. (credit:Charlie Hamilton James/National Geographic)
(07 of07)
Open Image ModalOn a mountainside in Yosemite National Park, photographer Stephen Wilkes took 1,036 images over 26 hours to create this day-to-night composite. (credit:National Geographic)