The Taj Mahal at Agra was an extravagant construction, whose costs are said to have drained the finances of the Mughal empire. But did you know, that Emperor Shah Jahan spent almost double the amount he spent on the Taj, on his throne?
00:00 - Introduction
00:30 - The Peacock Throne
1:07 - Thrones in Indian History
2:00 - The Making of the Peacock Throne
3:34 - How the Peacock Throne got its name
3:46 - Nadir Shah's Sack of Delhi
4:37 - Destruction of the Throne
5:14 - Wooden Peacock Throne
Kohinoor is considered the most valuable diamond in history, but that was just one of the thousands of nameless diamonds, rubies, emeralds and pearls that decorated the ‘Takht-e-Tous’ or the Peacock Throne of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Wrought out of 1150 kg of gold and 230 kg of precious stones, the throne, in its final form, is said to have been valued at one crore rupees, in contrast to the 50 lakh rupees said to have been spent on the construction of the Taj Mahal.
On becoming Emperor in 1628, Shah Jahan, decided to depart from the tradition. He decided that he wanted a grand throne for himself that would rival the ‘Takht-i-Suleimani’ or the throne of the Biblical King Solomon and so gave orders for a grand gold throne to be made for himself.
The new throne was worked on for seven years and finally completed in 1635 CE. What was built was a jaw dropping marvel. On the outside, the panels of gold were decorated with meenakari or enamel work. The inside was thickly set with rubies, diamonds, and other jewels, and it was supported by twelve emerald columns. On the top of each pillar there were two peacocks thick set with gems, and between each two peacocks, was a tree set with rubies and diamonds, emeralds and pearls.
Among the historical diamonds decorating it were the famous Kohinoor , the Akbar Shah , the Shah , the Jehangir and the second largest spinel ruby in the world - the Timur ruby. A-20 verse poem praising the Emperor in emerald letters was embedded in the throne.
On March 12, 1635, Emperor Shah Jahan ascended for the first time the newly completed Peacock Throne in the Dewan-i-Khas at the Red Fort in Delhi. And from then on, the fame of this throne spread far and wide. Interestingly, its original name was the ‘Takht Murassa’ or the ‘Bejewelled throne’. But because of the Peacocks on it, it became popularly known as the ‘ ’ or the ‘Peacock Throne’. the heroes of the mughal empire.
he splendour of the Mughal Court would come crashing when the Persian Ruler Nadir Shah invaded and sacked Delhi in March 1739. Nadir Shah levied a fine of 2 crore rupees on the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah Rangila. Apart from the entire Mughal treasury, Nadir Shah carried the Peacock throne and seven other Mughal thrones with him to Iran. One of these thrones was gifted by Nadir Shah to the Ottoman Sultan of Turkey and is currently on display at the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul -
Sadly, the famed Peacock Throne had a rather tragic fate. On the night of 20th March 1747, Nadir Shah was assassinated in his sleep. After his death, the Peacock Throne was broken and the loot divided among the conspirators.
Decades later, the Shahs of Iran used the parts of the original peacock throne to create a new throne called the - Sun Throne or the Naderi Peacock Throne. This Naderi Peacock Throne is on display at the National Treasury of the Central Bank of Iran.
Meanwhile in India, the Mughal power had declined considerably. The repeated attacks on the Red Fort by the Marathas, Jats, Sikhs and the Rohillas had made the Mughals virtually bankrupt. With the loss of the original peacock throne, a wooden replica was made and painted with gold. This was used by the Mughal emperors till the time of Bahadur Shah Zafar. Following the outbreak of the revolt of 1857, it was on this wooden replica that Bahadur Shah Zafar was proclaimed as Emperor of Hindustan by the Indian fighters. Following the recapture of Delhi, and the subsequent loot of the Red Fort, this throne was destroyed by the British Forces.
Today, a marble pedestal stands in the Diwan I Khas in Delhi, where the Peacock Throne once stood. A faint marker of the most valuable throne ever created in history.
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