Dariya-i-Noor: The myth and the mystery of the country’s most precious diamond

Last year, the buzz about bringing back one of the world's largest diamonds, the Kohinoor, grew to an almost deafening roar.

Demands rose soon after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. It was time for the colonisers to return what rightfully belonged to the sub-continent. However, which country would get the Kohinoor was another can of worms.

While the Kohinoor's bloody history has captured the world's imagination, another diamond – the 26-carat Dariya-i-Noor – is less spoken about.

The Dariya-i-Noor, a close relative of the famous Kohinoor, is supposed to be home in Bangladesh.

The diamond is said to be somewhere in the deep recess of the vaults of the state-run Sonali Bank.

But is it there?

The Dariya-i-Noor in Bangladesh has never been photographed. Its tale isn't as storied as the Kohinoor, but it is one replete with errors, tragedies, betrayals and shrouded in conspiracies.

Around six years ago, news broke that the diamond had gone missing.

The supposed robbery left government officials shaken. A parliamentary committee of the land ministry soon called a meeting in this regard.

Where was the diamond? Did it even exist in the first place?

A cut above the rest

The 26-carat diamond, according to historical notes, is like an oblong table-shaped surface. The diamond is firmly set in the centre of a gold armlet, surrounded by ten smaller diamonds, each around five carats.

The diamond is believed to have been mined in South India, the same place which gave the world the Kohinoor.

Its tale begins with Maharaja of Punjab, Ranjit Singh, also the possessor of the Kohinoor. He wore both diamonds as armlets.

Over time, as the colonising empires descended and left a land once rich in complete disarray, the diamond changed ownership.

Like its cousin, the Dariya-i-Noor was also shipped to Queen Victoria from Lahore by the last boy king of Punjab, Dilip Singh.

It remained in London for an exhibition, the Great Exhibition, before being sent to India. It was bought by Khwaja Alimullah of the Nawab family in an auction in 1852 for Tk75,000.

In 1908, the indebted Nawab Salimullah mortgaged the Dariya-i-Noor and the entire Nawab estate, including movable and immovable property.

Since then, starting from the Imperial Bank of India to the State Bank of Pakistan, the diamond soon found its way into Sonali Bank.

And then, just like it had appeared, it vanished.

Of myths and mysteries

The utter lack of transparency regarding the Dariya-i-Noor led to The Business Standard prodding the case.

After poring through numerous old documents, an exact 'replica' of the armlet was also uncovered.

There were also two paintings. Both were from the British period, the pictures speaking more of the quality than words could capture.

Another rendition of the diamond was published on 31 May 1951 in the Illustration London News.

Soon a few more sketches were found. But there was not a single picture.

The earliest known image was from an 1841 painting by Hungarian painter August Scheft. It shows a portrait of Ranjit Singh's son wearing the diamond on his left hand.

But was it the diamond Bangladesh ought to be famed for?

Another Dariya-i-Noor can still be found at the central bank of Iran. The Kohinoor and Dariya-i-Noor have often been considered the two most valuable diamonds in the world.

Their histories are rife with battles over their ownership. A ruler's prestige grew with the bigger the diamonds they flaunted.

But as hands changed, sometimes the same names were used. This led to a distorted version of history present before us today.

In May 1922, Princess Fatima of Afghanistan brought a diamond named Dariya-i-Noor to auction in New York. She claimed it to be the second-largest diamond in the world.

On the other hand, in 1763, another table-shaped diamond was presented in Amsterdam. This diamond is said to have belonged to Nadir Shah.

A picture of it was printed in the monthly Dutch Mercury magazine. But the original name of this diamond was probably Shah Jahan diamond.

In another retelling, Ranjit Singh may have christened his diamond the Dariya-i-Noor after the 182-carat one present in Iran today.

The naming was intended to reflect that he had two of the world's most valuable diamonds in his collection.

A more authentic version of the Dariya-i-Noor could lie with the Hamilton and Company, a trusted goldsmith and jeweller of the British in India.

It remained under their supervision until India became independent.

The diamond's story made its way to King George and Queen Mary when they visited Calcutta in January 1912.

King George said he already knew about this diamond as it was sent to Queen Victoria, who did not like it.

The diamond was seen by the then Viceroy Lord Dufferin and Lady Dufferin at the Nawab's house in Ballygunge, Calcutta in 1887. In her book Our Viceroyal Life in India, Lady Dufferin wrote, "The Dariya-i-Noor, being a flat diamond, did not strike us as very attractive". This flat nature could also be why it won no favours with Victoria.

During the visit, an inquiry was made on the state of the diamond. JB Woods, an official of the Foreign Political Department India, wrote in a letter dated 7 January 1912, "The Dariya-i-Noor was again taken to England by Messrs Hamilton to repay the Nawab's debt."

If it was returned, arrangements could be made to display it before the king and the queen.

According to Wood, experts had determined its value to be no more than £1,500. Until 1948, the Dariya-i-Noor remained in the bank under Hamilton's supervision.

According to Hamilton and Company, the Dariya-i-Noor is a table-cut diamond of the highest purity, set on enamelled gold. It also has ten pearls (11 according to John Login) attached to its tail.

According to Hamilton's history, the 26-carat diamond was long held by the Maratha kings. The family of Nawab Siraj-ul-Mulk, then minister of Hyderabad, bought the diamond for Tk130,000.

Later it reached Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab. After Ranjit Singh, the governance of Punjab changed rapidly under the influence of the British.

Soon it was bought by Nawab Alimullah and brought to Dhaka.

Present day

Since being given to Bangladesh's possession, the diamond has also been said to be in Sonali Bank's vault.

The last time this vault was opened and verified was back in 1985. It is not known whether any pictures were taken at the time.

The few paintings or sketches that remain are the only evidence of its existence.

When news of it going missing came to light some six years ago, the government was spurred into moving quickly.

They quizzed Sonali Bank officials and those from the land reform board, who were custodians of the diamonds. All said they had never seen the diamond.

After military rule, the vault was not officially opened for the last three decades.

Till today, rumours circulate whether the Dariya-i-Noor is in the vault. Contacted, a bank official, under the condition of anonymity, claimed that it was there.

But it is so far his word.

Faizul Latif Chowdhury, during his tenure as the director general of the National Museum, tried to bring the Dariya-i-Noor to the museum for his exhibition.

"It is in the vault. At various times, it can be transferred from one bank to another. But it is unlikely that it disappeared without causing a stir. I made a lot of effort to bring the diamond when I was in charge of the National Museum. But apart from that, there are other jewels as well. Due to the fear for their overall safety, permission was not given from the Ministry of Lands for the exhibition."

For now, the Dariya-i-Noor's story ends here. Will it ever remerge and brush the cobwebs of history only to reveal the truth?

Till today, despite the pleas and objections of the Nawab family, the old owner of the diamond, and the museum authority, the new claimant, the mystery of the diamond remains quietly buried in the dark vault of Sonali Bank.