Bring back Kohinoor from the U.K., parliamentary panel notes in its report

Bring back Kohinoor from the U.K., parliamentary panel notes in its report

Subject :History

Section: Art and Culture

Context: Nothing prevents India from seeking the return of the Kohinoor diamond, which left Indian shores in the early 1850s and is currently embedded in the crown of the British monarch

Background:

• The report on ‘Heritage Theft – The Illegal Trade in Indian Antiquities and the Challenges of Retrieving and Safeguarding Our Tangible Cultural Heritage’ was adopted by the Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture headed by YSR Congress MP Vijay Sai Reddy.
• India does not have legal competence to demand the return of the diamond.
• Under the provisions of the Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972 the Archaeological Survey of India takes up the issue of retrieval of only such antiquities that have been illegally exported out of the country.
• But the Articles 7 and 15 of the 1970 UNESCO convention indicates that the convention does not prevent state parties from entering special agreements for the restitution of removed cultural properties”

The UNESCO 1970 Convention

• The 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property urges States Parties to take measures to prohibit and prevent the illicit trafficking of cultural property.
• It provides a common framework for the States Parties on the measures to be taken to prohibit and prevent the import, export and transfer of cultural property.
• The return and restitution of cultural property is central to the Convention and its duty is not only to remember but to fundamentally safeguard the identity of peoples and promote peaceful societies whereby the spirit of solidarity will be strengthened.

The Koh-i-Noor : Timeline

• 14th Century AD: in the early 14th century, Alauddin Khilji, second ruler of the Turkic Khilji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and his army began robbery the kingdoms of southern India. Malik Kafur, Khilji’s general, created a victorious raid on Warangal in 1310 when he probably acquired the diamond.
• 16Th Century AD :It remained within the Khilji family line and later passed to the succeeding dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate, till it came into the possession of Babur.
• 17th Century AD: Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor, had the stone placed into his ornate Peacock Throne. In 1658, his son and successor, Aurangzeb, confined the unwell emperor at nearby Agra Fort. Whereas within the possession of Aurangazeb, weight of the stone was reduced from 793 carats (158.6 g) to 186 carats (37.2 g). For this carelessness, Borgia was admonished and punished 10,000rupees.
• 18th century (1739 AD ): Following the 1739 invasion of Delhi by Nader Shah, the Shah of Persia, the treasury of the Mughal Empire was plundered by his army in AN organized and through the acquisition of the Mughal nobility’s wealth. Besides a bunch of valuable things, together with the Daria-i-Noor, as well as the Peacock Throne, the Shah conjointly carried away the Koh-i-Noor.
• 18th Century (1747 AD):After the assassination of Nader Shah in 1747 and also the collapse of his empire, the stone came into the hands of one of his generals, Ahmad Shah Durrani, who later became the amir of Islamic State of Afghanistan.
• 19th Century (1813 AD):After ahmad Shah the Diamond came into possession of Ahmad Shah Durrani’s descendent Shauja Shah Durrani . Shah Shuja Durrani brought the Koh-i-door back to India in 1813 and gave it to Ranjit Singh (the founding father of the Sikh Empire). In exchange, Ranjit Singh helped Shah Shuja retreat to the throne of Islamic State of Afghanistan.
• 19th Century (1849 AD):On twenty-nine March 1849, following the conclusion of the Second Anglo-Sikh War, the dominion of Punjab was formally annexed to British India, and also the Last treaty of Lahore was signed, formally cession the Koh-i-Noor to Empress and the Maharaja’s other assets to the company