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FROM THE DEPTHS
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of
Persia decided to invade India, and not only did but sacked Delhi. That
was in 1739. There are many stories told of how he seized the diamond,
the Mountain of Light, the Koh-1-Nooi. One story is that the diamond
was one of the eyes of the peacock in the great Peacock Throne which
Shah Jehan began and Aurangzeb completed; that Nadir Shah carried off
the throne and so gained possession of the jewel.
But
another story has it that when Nadir Shah got into town he began a
thorough search for the diamond. It was not to he found. Then treachery
came to his aid in the form of a lady of the harem of Mohammed Shah,
the King of Delhi, The Works. She decided to give away the secret,
whether because of jealousy or hate or money. She went to the invader,
having been assured a presence with the promise of a good story, and
told him that the King of Delhi wore the Mountain of Light concealed in
the folds of his turban;
An
Indian rarely parts with his turban, even on a hot night. But the Nadir
Shah, upon hearing the news of the diamond and the turban, invited
Mohammed Shah to dinner. Of course, the Nadir could have killed him and
ended the whole affair, but that would have been a breach of ethics of
the time. The Nadir had a cautious, clever plan. He professed a great
friendship toward Mohammed and went so far as to restore him to his
throne. The Mohammed, King of Delhi, was bewildered but pleased. In
fact, the restoration was an occasion of much pomp and ceremony. As a
token of the warmth of friendly feeling now existing in his heart
toward Mohammed, the Nadir Shah proposed that they exchange turbans.
This was an interchange of courtesies that no Eastern potentate without gross breach of manners dared refuse.
(17)
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