Did the Syamantaka Mani Become the Koh-i-Noor Diamond?

The Koh-i-Noor Diamond on View at the Great Exhibition
Photo Credit: Number One London

On an expedition to India in order to find “those markets on the border and travel and east with the diamond men, picking up stories and characters,” author Kevin Rushby heard remarkable accounts of the Koh-i-Noor, which today resides in the Tower of London.

He began his quest in Africa, where his friend Cedric warned him that diamonds don’t give up their secrets. Even after he lost the trail in Africa, Rushby did not give up the hunt for the tale of a diamond. He found himself in India, talking to a man who seems to have been an astrologer of sorts.

This mystic told Rushby, “The first diamond was the Syamantaka which the Sun god, Surya, gave to Sattrajit as reward for worshiping him. When this magical gem disappeared, the people accused our god Krishna of stealing it and he fought terrible battles to return it to man.”

He also met Mr. Shantilal Bhatt, who responded to his inquiry by remarking, “Then you should know of the Syamantaka of the Sun god…It is the first diamond in Indian legend, the greatest stone in our history….in Dwarka lived a man called Sattrajit who worshipped Surya, the sun.

One day, while he was walking on the shore, Surya appeared before him and rewarded his devotion with a jewel—the Syamantaka. This jewel brought great prosperity to the city and kept away all evil things like famine and wild animals and robbers.”

Rushby's account makes it seem like these men not only believed firmly that the Syamantaka mani and the Koh-i-Nur are one in the same, but that Rushby’s quest to discover the diamond led him to the same conclusion. Of course, they could be wrong…

If you’re ready to make a choice, click here to leave me a comment with your decision.

If not, follow me this way to read about the Syamantaka’s connection to the Hope Diamond.

Or follow me this way to see if it might have become the Great Mogul Diamond.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. IndiaDivine. "Syamantaka or Shyamantaka??" Last modified September 10, 2005. Accessed August 15, 2012. http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/hinduism-forum/265626-syamantaka-shyamantaka.html.
2. ________, Michael. "The Hope Diamond Design Change." The Natural Sapphire Company. Last Modified September 15, 2009. Accessed August 15, 2012. http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Blog/the-hope-diamond-design-change.
3. India Child Name. "Meaning of Syamantak." Accessed August 15, 2012. http://www.indiachildnames.com/name.aspx?name=Syamantak.
4. International Colored Gemstone Association. "Ruby." Accessed August 15, 2012. http://www.gemstone.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=85:ruby&catid=1:gem-by-gem&Itemid=14.
5. Rushby, Kevin. Chasing the Mountain of Light. New York: Palgrave, 1999.

*Clip-art courtesy of The Graphics Fairy