The Source Book On Sikhism

Koh-i-Noor in Known History

On the death of Asoka his empire was split up into small principalities and one of his grandsons Raja Samprati made Ujjain his capital and the diamond passed to him as a valuable possession. In the course of time, Ujjain passed hands many times and the break-up of one empire after another deprived the people of any kind of stable and continued government. The rulers frittered away their energies in fratricidal warfare and when Sultan Mahmood found that Hindustan was a house divided against itself, he invaded the country seventeen times and returned laden with gold and jewels of all sorts. He was immediately followed by Mohammed Ghauri who vanquished both Prithvi Raj and Jai Chand, but nothing was heard of this priceless jewel and it is stated that it was smuggled out to Malwa where the Parmar dynasty was ruling. The last Hindu prince to possess it was Raja Ram Dev.

Towards the close of the thirteenth century Ala-ud-din Khilji ascended the throne of India. In the year 1386 he attacked Malwa and all the accumulated wealth fell into his hands. It is said that Raja Rai Ladha Deo, the ruler, sent through his ambassador, all that he had. Among them was ‘the jewel unparalleled in worth in the whole world’.

From this stage up to the time of Babar, the history of this great diamond is once more lost in obscurity. This much alone can be said, that it remained in the possession of the Sultans of Delhi.