Demand To Return Kohinoor ‘Bequeathed’ To Lord Jagannath Grows Louder With Sunak As UK PM

Puri: The demand to bring the Kohinoor to India was rekindled after Rishi Sunak  became British Prime Minister with researchers, historians and servitors seeking steps by the Central government to ensure return of the world’s most popular diamond to Lord Jagannath.

Seeking immediate steps to reclaim Kohinoor from England, noted researcher Naresh Chandra Das said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take up the matter with Sunak, who is a Hindu of Indian origin, and urge him to facilitate its return the world’s most attractive gem to India.

“Kohinoor is India’s property. Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab had donated the diamond to Lord Jagannath, but it was taken to England after his death,” he said.

With Sunak becoming British Prime Minister, India has got a big opportunity to seriously press for the return of Kohinoor, he said, adding that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should speak to Modi and urge him to do the needful.

Noted servitor of Shree Jagannath temple, Somnath Khuntia said Sunak happens to be a Hindu with Indian origin and sincere efforts should be made by both Odisha government and the Centre to bring back the diamond. “Both Centre and Odisha government should make sincere efforts to reclaim Kohinoor from Britain,” he said.

Voicing similar views, noted researcher of Jagannath culture Surya Narayan Rathasharma urged both the Odisha government and the Centre to initiate appropriate steps saying Sunak is likely to respond to our demand.

Jagannath Sena Convenor Priyadarshan Pattnaik said the Sena had submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu seeking her intervention in bringing back the gem and placing it on the crown of Lord Jagannath in Puri.

Stating that the Odisha government should take up the matter with the Centre, he said Modi should be requested to initiate necessary steps for return of Kohinoor to India as Lord Jagannath is the rightful owner of the famed jewel. “We are also planning to go to Delhi and meet him to seek his help,” Pattnaik said

He said there is a letter of intent or ‘will’ which Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab had given while praying to the Lord for restoring his eyesight. Ranjit Singh had donated the Kohinoor diamond to Lord Jagannath, the Sena memorandum said.

“It has come to light when we obtained the ‘last will’ of Maharaja Ranjit Singh from the state archives of Odisha. So, kindly convey it to our Prime Minister Modiji to take steps to bring it (Kohinoor) back,” it said.

Pattnaik further said that the outfit, which had earlier written to British Queen Elizabeth II, had also planned to move the International Court of Justice (ICJ), if necessary, as part of its efforts to bring back Kohinoor.

“The Queen had said that the rare diamond is under the British government’s authority and asked us to contact the British government over the dispute,” he said, adding, that they, however, were then denied a visa to travel to England since they did not have enough money in their account.

One of the world’s most popular gems, the Kohinoor was reportedly found in India in the 14th century during coal mining in the Kollur mine at Guntur in Andhra Pradesh during the reign of the Kaaktiya Dynasty.

Pattnaik said the famed diamond reached Queen Victoria after the annexation of Punjab in 1849, when it was taken from the 10-year-old prince of Punjab, Duleep Singh, by Lord Dalhousie in keeping with the Treaty of Lahore.

According to a letter preserved in the National Archives in New Delhi, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who ruled large parts of northern India in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, had wished to offer the Kohinoor to Lord Jagannath.

This last wish of the Maharaja has been elaborated in the fifth chapter ‘Ranjit Singh: The Kohinoor in Lahore’ of the book, ‘Kohinoor: The story of the world’s most infamous diamond’, authored by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand.

Researcher Anil Dhir also said that there is ample documentary proof that Maharaja Ranjit Singh had donated the diamond to the Jagannath temple before his death in 1839. “Just ten years after Ranjit Singh’s death, the British took away the diamond from his son, Duleep Singh, in 1849, even though they were fully aware of it being bequeathed to Lord Jagannath at Puri,” he added.