In this picture, we can see the famous throne of The Mughal Empire called “Peacock Throne.” The Peacock Throne was a famous jeweled throne that was the seat of the Mughal emperors of India. It was commissioned in the early 17th century by emperor Shah Jahan and was located in the Red Fort of Delhi. Nadir Shah’s invasion of India culminated in the Battle of Karnal on February 13, 1739 and the defeat of Muhammad Shah. His Persian troops left Delhi at the beginning of May 1739, taking with them the throne as a war trophy. Among the known precious stones that Nadir Shah looted were the Akbar Shah diamond, Great Mughal diamond, Great Table diamond, Koh-i-Noor, Shah diamond, 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 well as the Koh-i-Noor. The Shah diamond was described by Tavernier as being on the side of the throne. Many of these stones ended up becoming part of the Persian crown jewels or were taken later by the British colonialists. When Nadir Shah was assassinated by his own officers on June 19, 1747, the throne disappeared, most probably being dismantled or destroyed for its valuables in the ensuing chaos. One of the unsubstantiated rumours claimed the throne was given to the Ottoman Sultan, however in reality this could be a minor throne produced in Persia and given as a gift. Persian emperor Fath-Ali Shah commissioned the Sun Throne to be constructed in the early 19th century for him. The Sun Throne has the shape of a platform just like the Peacock Throne. Some rumours claim that parts of the original Peacock Throne were used in its construction, however there is no evidence to that. Over time, the Sun Throne was erroneously referred to as the Peacock Throne. A Sikh legend has it that a rectangular stone slab measuring 6 ft.X4ft.x9in. was uprooted, enchained and brought by Jassa Singh Ramgarhia to Ramgarhia Bunga in Amritsar after the capture of the Red Fort by combined Dal Khalsa forces of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and Baghel Singh in 1783. It was moved to Amritsar as war booty. However, if this stone pedestal indeed does stem from the Peacock Throne has not been independently corroborated by scientists and historians. In 1908, the New York Times reported that Caspar Purdon Clarke, Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, obtained what was purported to be a marble leg from the pedestal of the throne. Although mentioned in the 1908 annual report, the status of this pedestal remains unknown. There is another marble leg in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Where exactly these two pedestals originate from however and if they are connected to the Peacock Throne at all remains unclear.
