#peacock throne

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Daria-i-Noor (Sea of Light)

Daria-i-Noor (Sea of light), one of largest cut diamonds in the world, weighing an estimated 182 carats. 

Its colour, pale pink, is one of rarest to be found in diamonds. The diamond is currently in Iranian Crown Jewels Collection of Central Bank of Iran in Tehran.

It is 41.40mm×29.50mm×12.15mm and weighs around 182 metric carats. It is the world's largest known 'Pink Diamond.'

This diamond, as it is also presumed for Koh-i-Noor, was mined in Kollur mine in Andhra Pradesh, India. 

It was originally owned by Kakatiya Dynasty (12th-14 Century CE), later it was possessed by Khilji Dynasty of Delhi Sultanate (1290-1320 CE) and to Mughal Emperors (1526-1857 CE).

It was part of Shah Jahan's Peacock Throne (1635 CE).

In 1739 CE, Nader Shah of Iran invaded Northern India and occupied Delhi.

As payment for returning the crown of India to Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah, he took possession of entire fabled treasury of Mughals, including Daria-i-Noor, in addition to Koh-i-Noor and Peacock Throne.

After Nader Shah's death in 1747 CE, diamond was inherited by his grandson, Shahrokh Mirza.

From there, it fell into hands of Lotf Ali Khan. After Lotf Ali Khan's defeat at hands of Mohammad Khan Qajar, who established ruling Qajar dynasty of Iran, Daria-i-Noor entered Qajar treasury.

During this time, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar was said to be very fond of diamond, often wearing it as an armband, aigrette, or a brooch and maintenance of diamond was an honor bestowed upon higher ranking individuals.

In 1965, a Canadian team conducting research on the Iranian Crown Jewels concluded that the Daria-i-Noor may well have been part of a large pink diamond that had been studded in the throne of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592-1666 CE).

It had been described in the journal of the French jeweller Jean-Baptiste Tavernier in 1642 CE, who called it the Great Table Diamond  ("Diamanta Grande Table").

This diamond may have been cut into two pieces. The larger part is the Daria-i-Noor.

The smaller part is believed to be the 60-carat (12g) Noor-ul-Ain diamond, presently studded in a tiara also in the Iranian Imperial Collection.

[rhianna]

Before the peacock throne of the Great Mogul there was an inscription that ran:

“There is a Paradise. And it is this. And it is this. ”

Of that paradise the legend alone endures.

Saltus, E. (1906). The pomps of Satan. New York: M. Kennerley.

https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007939788/Cite

#132 (p.120)

[turkishmughalempress]

“Shah Jahan on the Peacock Throne at Delhi receiving deputations.“

[colleenrants]

“The Peacock Throne (Hindustani: मयूर सिंहासन تخت طاؤس: Mayūr Singhāsana, Persian: تخت طاووس‎, Takht-i Tāvūs) was a famous jeweled throne that was the seat of the Mughal emperors of India. It was commissioned in the early 17th century by emperor Shah Jahan and was located in the Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audiences) in the Red Fort of Delhi. The original throne was subsequently captured and taken as a war trophy in 1739 by the Persian king Nadir Shah, and has been lost ever since. A replacement throne based on the original was commissioned afterwards and existed until the Indian War of Independence in 1857.”

[chairpeople-sitzmaschine]

King Ludwig II

Freddie Mercury

[oupacademic]

A Very Short Fact: On this day in 1739 Iranian King Nader Afshar occupies Delhi and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne.

“He [Afshar] then proceeded to expand his realm in new directions, with a dramatic descent on Delhi in 1739 that dealt a fatal blow to the Mughal dynasty. He returned to Iran with an unprecedented hoard of gems and jewellery including the fabled peacock throne. These successes unfortunately, though not unprecedentedly, resulted in a mixture of hubris and paranoia which in turn—after the blinding of his son in a fit of jealousy—led to melancholia and cynical depression. The continued cycle of wars that had exhausted the country both politically and economically, combined with Nader Shah’s erratic behaviour, convinced his subordinates that the king was detrimental to the peace of the state, and they resolved to assassinate him. Nader’s end proved as ignominious and precipitous as his rise had been sudden and dramatic. Far from bringing peace, his lieutenants fought over the spoils of empire.”

[P.78-79-Iran: A Very Short Introduction by Ali Ansari]

Like the Very Short Introductions on Facebook for more from the series.

Image credit: The Delhi Darbar of Akbar Shah II by Ghulam Murtaza Khan Jaipur or Delhi School. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

[mahgnib]

On this date (3/22) in 1739, Persian invaders stole the Peacock Throne, taking it back to Persia as a trophy of war. The Peacock throne was the throne on which the Mughal Emperors sat for slightly over a hundred years in Delhi. It was commissioned by Shah Jehan, and named after the peacock statues which were situated near the rear. It was made of gold, precious gems, pearls, and the like. News reports seen this morning say it is “lost”, but others say it was disassembled by the Persians, and that parts of it still exist. There are no reliable images of it, which has led to many fanciful depictions, such as this one, which may or may not have any authentic relationship with what the Peacock Throne actually looked like.

[greatestwarriors]

Shah Jahan

A'la Azad Abul Muzaffar Shahab ud-Din Mohammad Khurram  better known by his imperial name Shah Jahan, was the fifth Mughal Emperor who reigned from 1628 until 1658. While young, Khurram was the favourite of his legendary grandfather, the third Mughal emperor Akbar the Great. At a young age, he was chosen as successor to the Mughal throne after the death of his father, Emperor Jahangir, in 1627. He is considered one of the greatest Mughals. His reign has been called the Golden Age of the Mughals and one of the most prosperous ages of Indian civilization. Like Akbar, he was eager to expand his vast empire. In 1658, he fell ill and was confined by his son Emperor Aurangzeb in Agra Fort until his death in 1666.

 Unlike his father and his grandfather, Shah Jahan was an orthodox and pious Muslim. Upon his accession, he adopted new policies which canonically reversed Akbar's generally liberal treatment of non-Muslims. In 1633, his sixth regnal year, Shah Jahan began to impose Sharia provisions against construction or repair of churches and temples and subsequently ordered the demolitions of newly built Hindu temples. He celebrated Islamic festivals with great pomp and grandeur and with an enthusiasm unfamiliar to his predecessors. Long-dormant royal interest in the Holy Cities also revived during his reign.[2]

 The period of his reign was the golden age of Mughal architecture. Shah Jahan erected many splendid monuments, the most famous of which is the Taj Mahal at Agra, built in 1632–1648 as a tomb for his beloved wife, Empress Mumtaz Mahal. The Moti Masjid, Agra and many other buildings in Agra, the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid in Delhi, mosques in Lahore, extensions to Lahore Fort and a mosque in Thatta also commemorate him. The famous Takht-e-Taus or the Peacock Throne, said to be worth millions of dollars by modern estimates, also dates from his reign. He was also the founder of the new imperial capital called Shahjahanabad, now known as Old Delhi. Other important buildings of Shah Jahan's rule were the Diwan-i-Am and Diwan-i-Khas in the Red Fort Complex in Delhi and the Moti Masjid in the Lahore Fort. Shah Jahan is also believed to have had a very refined taste in the arts and architecture, and is credited with having commissioned about 999 gardens in Kashmir, his favorite summer residence. A few of these gardens survive, attracting millions of tourists every year.[citation nee