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The Koh-i-Noor, literally the Mountain of Light, was once the largest-known diamond in the world. It remains one of the most famous, and is now back in news because Keith Vaz, the Indian-origin British member of Parliament, has asked that it be returned to India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to UK in November.

Vaz's demand comes in the wake of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's recent stirring speech at the Oxford Union calling for Britain to pay reparations to India for 200 years of exploitative colonial rule. “I welcome Tharoor’s speech and the endorsement of its message by PM Modi," Vaz said. "I share their views. These are genuine grievances which must be addressed”.

“Pursuing monetary reparations is complex, time consuming and potentially fruitless," he added. "But there is no excuse for not returning precious items such as the Kohinoor diamond, a campaign I have backed for many years."

The Kohinoor has a contested history, said to be dating back to more than 5,000 years. But even outside of legends, the documented history traces it back to 1304, when it was known to be in the possession of the Rajas of Malwa, from where it came to be taken over over by the conquering army of Allaudin Khilji, then ruling Delhi.

This animation video by DTC Diamond captures the incredible journey of the diamond which is made even more fascinating by the various legends and myths surrounding it.

A curse is said to have been placed on the diamond in 1306: “He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all its misfortunes. Only God, or a woman, can wear it with impunity.”

The diamond was passed on to the succeeding dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate, until it came into the possession of Babur, the founder of Mughal dynasty, who mentions it in his autobiography, Baburnama in 1526 as a gift to him from Sultan Ibrahim Lodi and describes it as "Worth the value of one day's food for all the people in the world".

Legend has it that Emperor Shah Jahān would see the Taj Mahal only by looking at its reflection in the stone, which till then had not acquired its current name.

We find a detailed description from Jean-Baptiste Tavernier's Travels in India, which not only describes but also offers drawings of the diamond.

Following the invasion of Nadir Shah in 1739 and the sacking of Agra and Delhi, the diamond was carried off to Persia along with the Peacock Throne. The current name, too, is said to come from Nadir Shāh who is supposed to have exclaimed, "Koh-i-Noor! (Light of the Mountain!)," on seeing the diamond.

The Kohinoor finds its way back to India in 1813 and to Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire. After Ranjit Singh's death in 1839, and the capture of Lahore by the British, the diamond finds a mention in one of the terms of the Treaty of Lahore: "The gem called the Koh-i-Noor which was surrenderd by Shah Shuja-ul-Mulk to Maharajah Ranjit Singh and then surrendered by the Maharajah of Lahore to the Queen of England."

Lord Dalhousie eventually arranged that the diamond be presented by Maharaja Ranjīt Singh's young successor, Dulīp Singh, to Queen Victoria in 1850.

Since then various demands have been made for it to be returned to India. The latest of which is the one by Vaz.