muhammad shah was the last mughal emperor to sit on the peacock throne.
muhammad shah was the last mughal emperor to sit on the peacock throne.
who was the last mughal emperor to sit on the peacock throne?
muhammad shah
nader shah's invasion of the mughal empire culminated in the battle of karnal, on 13 february 1739, and the defeat of muhammad shah. nadir shah entered delhi and sacked the city, in the course of which tens of thousands of inhabitants were massacred. persian troops left delhi at the beginning of may 1739, taking with them the throne as a war trophy, their haul of treasure amounting to a large reduction in mughal wealth and an irreplaceable loss of cultural artefacts. among the known precious stones that nadir shah looted were the akbar shah, great mughal, great table, koh-i-noor, and shah diamonds, as well as the samarian spinel and the timur ruby. these stones were either part of the peacock throne or were in possession of the mughal emperors. the akbar shah diamond was said to form one of the eyes of a peacock, as did the koh-i-noor. the shah diamond was described by jean-baptiste tavernier as being on the side of the throne. many of these stones ended up becoming part of the persian crown jewels and, later, the british crown jewels as a result of great britain's colonial expansion into the region.
peacock throne
after nadir shah looted the original, another throne was made for the mughal emperor. along with the peacock throne, nadir had also taken the fabulous koh-i noor and darya-i noor diamonds to persia, where some became part of the persian crown jewels, and others were sold to the ottomans. the plunder taken by nadir was so great that he stopped taxation for 3 years. the bottom half of the peacock throne might have been converted into the sun throne also a part of the persian crown jewels. various 19th-century indian paintings of this later throne exist. it was located in the "diwan-i-khas" and might have been smaller in size than the original. however, the appearance would have been similar, based on either the original plans or from memory and eye-witness accounts. the replacement throne was made out of gold, or was gilded, and was studded with precious and semi-precious stones. just like the original, it featured 12 columns. the columns carried a bengali "do-chala" roof, which was graced with two peacock statues on the two ends, carrying pearl necklaces in their beaks, and two peacocks at the top, also carrying pearl necklaces in their beaks. the two lower peacocks were in the center underneath a flower bouquet made out of jewels, or under a royal umbrella. this throne was protected by a canopy made out of precious and colorful textiles, and gold and silver threads. the canopy was carried by four slender columns or beams made out of metal. underneath the throne, colorful and precious carpets were laid out.
peacock throne