The Taj Mahal Diamond

Western View of the Taj Mahal. This is the view Shah Jahan would have had from Agra Fort. Photo taken by Muhammad Mahdi Karim, 2012. Used with permission. Tracing the Taj Mahal Diamond through history is a fascinating endeavor. It was created by Mughal court jewelers for Emperor Jahangir Shah and his beloved wife, Nur Jahan. After his death, the emperor's son, Shah Jahan, ascended the throne and took possession of the heart-shaped pendant. This gorgeous jewel* features a table-cut white diamond of unknown size carved into the shape of a heart. Inscribed upon the face of the diamond, in Persian, is a declaration of Nur Jahan's position as Lady of the Master. The numbers inscribed on the6 stone mark the final year of her claim to that title. Shortly after the diamond was created, Nur Jahan's husband died. Her stepson Shah Jahan seized the throne by force.  The jewel became his possession, and it is rumored that he passed it along to his most beloved wife, Mumtal-I-Mahal.

Mumtal-I-Mahal's Death

Here begins Act II of the Taj Mahal Diamond's history. (Read Act I here.) Three years after becoming empress of the Mughal Empire, in the year 1631, Mumtal-I-Mahal died in childbirth.  The court chroniclers recorded the death of their queen soon after she gave birth to a daughter:

When she brought out the last single pearl, She emptied her body like an oyster. {5, p. 1}

Diana Preston, in her book Taj Mahal: Passion and Genius at the Heart of the Moghul Empire, details the legendary story: "In a dusty fortress on the hot, airless plateau of the Deccan in central India...a severe pain gripped abdomen. Doctors were hastily summoned, but despite their efforts, the 38-year-old mother's fourteenth pregnancy was going severely wrong. Weak through loss of blood, she whispered to her distraught husband of their everlasting love and begged him not to marry again. Her final request was that he should build her a mausoleum resembling paradise on earth, just as she had seen in her dreams" {p. 1}. Shah Jahan would do as she asked, but not before he locked himself away in his rooms, refusing food for eight days {1}. Even after he agreed to take food, he remained in seclusion for two years {5}. She writes that his hair turned completely white in one night and that he turned his back on riches and pleasures. He donned a simple white mourning costume and devoted the next 20 years of his life to fulfilling his wife's deathbed wish {5}.

The Taj Mahal

Unesco calls the Taj Mahal "the jewel of Muslim art in India" {6}. Diana Preston calls it "the world's most famous memorial to love" {p. 1}. A fusion of Persian, Muslim, and India design elements, the Taj Mahal casts a spell on all who gaze upon it. Eleanor Roosevelt, who saw its magnificent just after the sun went down, wrote, "I held my breath unable to speak in the face of so much beauty...this is a beauty that enters the soul" {5, p. 3}. With the treasury of the entire Mughal Empire at his disposal, Shah Jahan poured every ounce of his grief and passion into ensuring the intricate beauty of his wife's resting place. Made entirely of white marble and rose sandstone, the Taj Mahal features exquisite mosaic work in precious and semi-precious stones. The History Channel relates that the colorful display was fashioned out of jade, lapis lazuli, turquoise, amethyst, and other crystals in the pietra dura technique.

An Empire in Decline

Having thrown everything into the creation of this paradise on earth, Shah Jahan, indifferent to his kingly duties, depleted the kingdom's stores. After 22 years of neglect, the empire was heading toward decline. In 1653, the remains of Mumtal-I-Mahal were finally interred in her final resting place. Four years later, Shah Jahan fell ill, and his son Dara, the favored son of Mumtal-I-Mahal, took over his father's duties. Dara's three brothers, Aurangzeb, Shuja, and Murad, amassed an army which defeated Dara's military delegation. They declared their father incompetent to rule, and Aurangzeb took to the throne. He ordered his father's arrest and had him detained in Agra Fort. From here, the former ruler had a pristine view of the western face of the Taj Mahal. It is said that he spent most of his time staring at it until he died in 1666 {7}.

The Taj Mahal Diamond

During this time, the Taj Mahal Diamond remained in the Mughal treasury. It was passed from ruler to ruler until 1739. In May of that year, Nadir Shah, ruler of Persia, swept in and defeated the Mughal armies. The treasury of India's Mughal emperors, worth an estimated value of 700 million rupees {3}, was handed over to Nadir Shah. Chests of gemstones, including some of the world's most famous diamonds (Koh-i-Noor and Darya-i-Noor), the Peackock throne of Shah Jahan, and likely the Nur Jahan Pendant (now called the Taj Majal Diamond), were carried into Persia. In 1749, Nadir Shah was assassinated by those who were charged to protect him, and the Persian treasury was dispersed among these former bodyguards {3}. During this chaotic time, the whereabouts of the Taj Mahal Diamond are undocumented. One theory suggests the possibility that the diamond was not among the jewels taken by Nadir Shah {3}. Another poses the possibility that the jewel was recovered through acts of torture perpetrated by Agha Muhammad Khan Qajar. Still others propose that the jewel may have been recovered in an attack on Nadir Shah's convoy as it made its way through Indian lands. While it's method of recovery remains a mystery, the Taj Mahal Diamond was returned at some point to the Mughals, having been documented in the city of Delhi as part of the collection belonging to the Mughal Empire's final ruler, Bahadur Zafar Shah II.

The Taj Mahal Diamond in Britain

In 1857, British forces captured the city of Delhi. The emperor was placed under arrest, and the jewels of the Mughal treasury were cataloged for transport to England. Since the Taj Mahal Diamond did not find its way into the official registry, it's believed that the stone was pilfered by one of the British soldiers, who smuggled the jewel into Britain for his own purposes {3}. At some point, Cartier acquired the Mughal relic and fashioned for it a beautiful new setting of gold and rubies. In their book, Furious Love, Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger detail the story of how Elizabeth Taylor fell in love with the Taj Mahal Diamond necklace: "...during a layover at Kennedy Airport. Cartier accommodated the Burtons by bringing a king's ransom of jewelry to the airport for them to consider while they waited for the next plane. The Taj Mahal necklace was among the selections" {p. 31}. Burton purchased the glorious jewel as an early birthday gift for Elizabeth. She was overjoyed and wore it many times throughout her life. Thus begins Act III of the Taj Mahal Diamond's history. Read More...

*Press photos of this gem are no longer widely available. As such, this writer has created a Pinterest board with a number of photos of the Taj Mahal Diamond for your viewing pleasure.

 References

1. Christie's. "Lot 56: The Taj Mahal an Indian Diamond and Jade Pendant Necklace Ruby and Gold Chain, by Cartier." Accessed January 4, 2015. http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/jewelry/the-taj-mahal-an-indian-diamond-and-5507931-details.aspx.
2. "Deconstructing History: Taj Mahal." History.com. Accessed January 4, 2015. http://www.history.com/topics/taj-mahal.
3. Internet Stones. "The Taj Mahal/Nur Jahan Diamond." Accessed January 4, 2015. http://www.internetstones.com/taj-mahal-diamond-famous-jewelry.html.
4. Kashner, Sam and Nancy Schoenberger. Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor * Richard Burton, the Marriage of the Century. London: JR Books, 2010.
5. Preston, Diana. Taj Mahal: Passion and Genius at the Heart of the Moghul Empire. New York: Walker Publishing Company, 2007.
6. Savion Travel Services. "Shah Jahan," Taj Mahal. Accessed January 4, 2015. http://www.tajmahal.org.uk/shah-jahan.html.
7. Unesco. "Taj Mahal." Accessed January 4, 2015. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/252.