View source for Imperial Crown of India

{{short description|Crown used by King George V as Emperor of India at the Delhi Durbar of 1911}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
[[File:ImperialCrownOfIndia2.jpg|235px|thumb|The Imperial Crown of India]]
The '''Imperial Crown of India''' was used by King {{nobr|[[George V]]}} in his capacity as [[Emperor of India]] at the [[Delhi Durbar]] of 1911.<ref name=Mears-Thurley-1994>{{cite book |first1=Kenneth J. |last1=Mears |first2=Simon |last2=Thurley |first3=Claire |last3=Murphy |year=1994 |title=The Crown Jewels |page=33 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r1GJnAEACAAJ |via=Google Books|oclc=59035535}}</ref>

==Origin==
Tradition prohibits the [[Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom|Crown Jewels]] from leaving the United Kingdom, a product of the days when kings and queens often pawned the jewels to foreign brokers. There are also considerable risks involved in transporting the historic regalia by sea and land over such a great distance.<ref name=Younghusband-1919/> For these reasons, a new crown was made specially for King George V and [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]]'s trip to India in 1911, where they were proclaimed as Emperor and Empress of India before the princes and rulers of India.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Imperial Crown of India |website=Royal Collection Trust |url=https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/31706/the-imperial-crown-of-india |access-date=7 December 2015 |archive-date=31 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131171517/https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/31706/the-imperial-crown-of-india |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Crown Jewellers at the time, [[Garrard & Co]], made the crown at a cost of £60,000
({{inflation|GBP|60000|1911|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-5}}), which was borne by the [[India Office]].<ref name=Mears-Thurley-1994/>

==Description==
The Imperial Crown of India weighs {{convert|920|g|lb|abbr=on}} and is set with 6,170&nbsp;diamonds, 9&nbsp;emeralds, 4&nbsp;rubies, and 4&nbsp;sapphires. At the front is a very fine emerald weighing {{convert|32|carat|g}}.<ref name=Twining-1960>{{cite book |first=Edward Francis |last=Twining |author-link=Edward Twining |year=1960 |title=A History of the Crown Jewels of Europe |publisher=B.T. Batsford |asin=B00283LZA6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XvIOAQAAMAAJ |via=Google Books |page = 169}}</ref> The King wrote in his diary that it was heavy and uncomfortable to wear: "Rather tired after wearing my crown for {{frac|3|1|2}}&nbsp;hours; it hurt my head, as it is pretty heavy."<ref name=Brooman1989>{{cite book |first=Josh |last=Brooman |year=1989 |title=The World Since 1900 |edition=3rd |publisher=Longman |isbn=978-0-5820-0989-9 |page=96 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JyWgAAAAMAAJ |via=Google Books}}</ref>

Similar to other British crowns, it consists of a circlet with four [[cross pattée|crosses pattée]] and four [[fleur-de-lis|fleurs-de-lis]]. However, the eight [[Half-arch (crown)|half-arches]] on top, which join at a typical [[Monde (crown)|monde]] and cross pattée, point upwards in the form of a Gothic [[ogee]] arch.<ref name=Younghusband-1919>{{cite book |first=George |last=Younghusband |year=1919 |title=The Crown Jewels of England |publisher=Cassell & Co. |pages=21–22 |url=https://archive.org/stream/TheCrownJewelsOfEngland/younghusband-g-crown-00043150-LowRes#page/n67/mode/2up |via=Archive.org}}</ref> The Crown of India is the only crown of a British sovereign to have eight half-arches, in the style of continental European crowns, departing from the tradition of British crowns having two arches or four half-arches.

==Use==
[[File:The Nizam of Hyderabad pays homage to the king and queen at the Delhi Durbar.jpg|alt=|thumb|[[George V|King George&nbsp;V]] and [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]] at the [[Delhi Durbar]], December&nbsp;1911.]]
George and Mary were not crowned as emperor and empress at the ceremony; the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], [[Randall Davidson]], did not think it appropriate for a [[Christianity|Christian]] service to take place in a country where the people were mostly [[Hindu]] or [[Muslim]]. Instead, the king simply wore the crown as he entered the durbar, and the durbar was styled as an affirmation of the king's coronation, which had already taken place in the United Kingdom six months earlier.

It has not been used since George&nbsp;V returned from India. On 15&nbsp;August 1947, [[British Raj|British rule over India]] ended and the [[Dominion]]s of [[Dominion of India|India]] and [[Dominion of Pakistan|Pakistan]] came into being. [[George VI]] and his British Prime Minister, [[Clement Attlee]], agreed that
<blockquote>as long as the two new Dominions remained in the Commonwealth, the crown should be retained among the Crown Jewels, but if at later date one or both were to secede it might be contended that, in view of the fact that it had been purchased out of Indian funds, the crown should be vested in some Indian authority".<ref>{{harvp|Twining|1960|p= 167}}.</ref></blockquote>

The Imperial Crown of India is on public display in the [[Jewel House]] at the [[Tower of London]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Crown Jewels |website=The Royal Household |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/the%20royal%20collection%20and%20other%20collections/thecrownjewels/overview.aspx |access-date=7 December 2015 |archive-date=8 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008074350/http://www.royal.gov.uk/the%20royal%20collection%20and%20other%20collections/thecrownjewels/overview.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Imperial crown]]

==References==
{{reflist|25em}}

==External links==
*{{Royal Collection|31706|The Imperial Crown of India}}

{{Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom}}
{{Crowns}}

[[Category:Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Individual crowns|India]]
[[Category:Emperors of India| ]]
[[Category:George V]]