Dhaka: Bangladesh is preparing to unseal a vault for the first time in more than a century that has remained locked since 1908. Inside this long-forgotten chamber of the Sonali Bank lies what many believe to be one of the world’s rarest gems, the Daria-i-Noor diamond, which is often described as the “sister” of the Koh-i-Noor.
Bangladesh’s interim government chief passed the order. A high-powered 11-member committee, led by the cabinet secretary, has been tasked with examining the jewels and treasures stored in the sealed vault.
The Diamond Of Legends
The Daria-i-Noor, loosely translated as ‘river of light’, is a 26-carat, table-cut and pale pink diamond believed to have been mined from the fabled Golconda mines of Telangana in southern India. From the same mines came the Koh-i-Noor, now held in the British Crown Jewels.
The gem rests at the heart of a golden armlet. It is framed by 10 smaller diamonds of nearly five carats each. What makes it remarkable is not only its rare brilliance but also the odyssey it has undertaken, from Maratha courts to Mughal palaces and from Sikh treasuries to the coffers of colonial administrators.
Last Seen Decades Ago
Few mysteries in South Asia rival this one: does the diamond still rest in Dhaka? According to report published in the Business Standard, the vault holding it was last opened in 1985, when its presence was verified. Decades later, in 2017, rumours swirled that it had vanished. Even the custodians confess they have never laid eyes on it.
“The vault is sealed. Years ago, an inspection team came, but they checked only the door, not the treasure within,” Shaukat Ali Khan, managing director of Sonali Bank, told news agency AFP.
A Nawab’s Descendant On The Lost Diamond
For Khwāja Naeem Murad, great-grandson of Nawab Salimullah of Dhaka, the diamond was never just legend. “It is no fairy tale. The diamond is rectangular, with smaller stones around it,” he told AFP.
As a child, he also heard of the vault’s other riches, 108 objects in all, including a gold-and-silver sword, a fez encrusted with diamonds and even a French queen’s star-shaped brooch.
How Did It Reach Bangladesh?
The Daria-i-Noor’s passage into Bangladesh remains an unsettled tale. Some historians trace its arrival to the Partition of 1947, when treasures were divided and displaced across borders. Others point to the turmoil of the 1971 Liberation War, when entire collections vanished or reappeared in unexpected places.
Complicating the story further is another Daria-i-Noor, locked today in Tehran’s National Jewellery Treasury. That stone is larger, over 180 carats, with a deeper pink hue, raising the possibility that two different gems have long shared the same legendary name.
A Vault Of Secrets
Bangladesh’s interim government has appointed a special committee to unseal the chamber, assess the treasures within and record their fate. For the country, the discovery, or the absence, could reshape the legacy of one of the most fabled diamonds ever to leave India’s soil.
Anticipation is feverish in Dhaka. Will the ‘river of light’ glitter once again after 117 years of darkness? Or will Dhaka’s most fabled secret dissolve into the fog of history?