Imperial Crown of India
Encyclopedia
The Imperial Crown of India was the crown of the Sovereign as Emperor of India
during the time of the British Raj
. The crown is housed with, but is not part of, the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom
.
as Emperor of India to wear at the Delhi Durbar
of 1911. The need for the new crown
lay in the fact that it is forbidden by Old Royal Law for the British Crown Jewels themselves to leave the United Kingdom
.
King George and Queen Mary
travelled to Delhi for the Durbar ceremonies, proclaiming them as Emperor and Empress of India to the princes of India. The King was not crowned at the service because the Archbishop of Canterbury
did not think it suitable for a Christian
religious service to take place in a predominantly non-Christian (Hindu
and Muslim
) country. Therefore the King wore the crown as he entered the arena where the Durbar took place.
The Crown Jewellers, Garrard & Co
, created the crown at the cost of £60,000 (£ as of ), or $300,000 ($ as of ),. It weighs 34.05 ounces (0.97 kg) and is set with emerald
s, rubies
, sapphire
s, 6,100 diamond
s, and one large fine ruby. The considerable weight of the crown led King George to complain after the Durbar that his head hurt.
The crown has not been worn by any Sovereign since.
and four fleurs-de-lis
. However, the arches on top, which join at a typical monde
and cross, point upwards in an Asiatic manner instead of curving back downward as other British crowns do.
It is also the only crown of a British Sovereign with eight half-arches
, in the manner of Continental European crown jewels, departing from the British tradition of the Crown having four half-arches. This difference is emblematic of the difference between the crown of an Emperor and that of a King.
It can be viewed in the Jewel House
at the Tower of London
, alongside the crown jewels.
Emperor of India
Emperor/Empress of India was used as a title by the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah II, and revived by the colonial British monarchs during the British Raj in India....
during the time of the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. The crown is housed with, but is not part of, the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom
Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom
The collective term Crown Jewels denotes the regalia and vestments worn by the sovereign of the United Kingdom during the coronation ceremony and at other state functions...
.
History
The crown was created for George VGeorge V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
as Emperor of India to wear at the Delhi Durbar
Delhi Durbar
The Delhi Durbar , meaning "Court of Delhi", was a mass assembly at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the coronation of a King and Queen of the United Kingdom. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it was held three times, in 1877, 1903, and 1911, at the height of the British Empire. The 1911...
of 1911. The need for the new crown
Crown (headgear)
A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...
lay in the fact that it is forbidden by Old Royal Law for the British Crown Jewels themselves to leave the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
King George and Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
travelled to Delhi for the Durbar ceremonies, proclaiming them as Emperor and Empress of India to the princes of India. The King was not crowned at the service because the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
did not think it suitable for a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
religious service to take place in a predominantly non-Christian (Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
) country. Therefore the King wore the crown as he entered the arena where the Durbar took place.
The Crown Jewellers, Garrard & Co
Garrard & Co
Garrard & Co is a luxury jewellery and silver company founded by George Wickesin London in 1735. Its current base is at Albemarle Street in Mayfair, London, its USA flagship store is in New York. The company also has a presence in Tokyo, New York, Dubai, Moscow and Hong Kong...
, created the crown at the cost of £60,000 (£ as of ), or $300,000 ($ as of ),. It weighs 34.05 ounces (0.97 kg) and is set with emerald
Emerald
Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the 10 point Mohs scale of mineral hardness...
s, rubies
Ruby
A ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum . The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires...
, sapphire
Sapphire
Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
s, 6,100 diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s, and one large fine ruby. The considerable weight of the crown led King George to complain after the Durbar that his head hurt.
The crown has not been worn by any Sovereign since.
Design
Similar to other British crowns, the Imperial Crown of India consists of a circlet topped by four crosses pattéeCross pattée
A cross pattée is a type of cross which has arms narrow at the centre, and broader at the perimeter. An early English example from the start of the age of heraldry proper A cross pattée (or "cross patty", known also as "cross formée/formy") is a type of cross which has arms narrow at the...
and four fleurs-de-lis
Fleur-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...
. However, the arches on top, which join at a typical monde
Monde (crown)
A monde is a ball-like object located near the top of a crown. It is the point at which a crown's half arches meet. It is usually topped off either with a national or religious symbol, for example a cross in Christian countries....
and cross, point upwards in an Asiatic manner instead of curving back downward as other British crowns do.
It is also the only crown of a British Sovereign with eight half-arches
Half-arch (crown)
A half-arch is the piece of gold, silver or platinum, usually decorated with jewels, that links the circlet of a hoop crown to the globe at the top of the crown.-British tradition of 4 half-arches:...
, in the manner of Continental European crown jewels, departing from the British tradition of the Crown having four half-arches. This difference is emblematic of the difference between the crown of an Emperor and that of a King.
It can be viewed in the Jewel House
Jewel House
The Jewel House in the Tower of London is both a building and an institution. Until 1782 it was the Department of the Jewel Office, under the Master of the Jewel Office, who was generally a senior politician.-History:...
at the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
, alongside the crown jewels.