February 1, 2022 - Storytrails

February 1, 2022

What connects a pair of gigantic silver jars in the Jaipur city palace to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman? Surprisingly, a long-held Indian taboo called Kalapani that prevented Indians from traveling overseas. This is the story of a clever workaround that the British used, to move Indian soldiers across the world during World War I.
The Koh-i-noor diamond once adorned the magnificent Peacock throne at the Red Fort in Delhi. Today, it sits pretty on the British Queen’s crown in London. In its 700 years of documented history, the Koh-i-noor was coveted by the most powerful kings, has changed hands many times and has travelled half-way across the globe. And wherever it went, it toppled kingdoms, ended dynasties and left a trail of destruction in its wake. Is it any surprise that it acquired a reputation of being a cursed stone?