Hollywood actress Margot Robbie has incurred the wrath of netizens for wrongly attributing a diamond necklace, originally gifted by Mughal emperor Jahangir to his wife Nur Jahan, to Elizabeth Taylor.
Robbie wore the necklace at the world premiere of her upcoming film Wuthering Heights in Los Angeles.
The necklace was passed down by Jahangir and Nur Jahan to their son Shah Jahan, who later gifted it to his wife Mumtaz in whose memory the Taj Mahal is built. It was taken to the US, where it was purchased by Richard Burton for Elizabeth Taylor's 40th birthday.
In recent times, it was acquired by Cartier at an auction for a whopping USD 8.8 million (Rs 74 crore).
This has caught the attention of Indians, especially after Robbie mentioned that the necklace once belonged to Elizabeth Taylor and that Cartier had given it to her for the event. Enraged, desi fans called out the actress for discarding an important part of Indian history.
The Mughal heirloom, valued at approximately USD 8.8 million, features a heart-shaped, table-cut diamond inscribed with the words, “Love is Everlasting” written in Parsi.
“So when exactly did Elizabeth Taylor become 'Nur Jahan'? Anyone who reads Urdu or Parsi can see the inscription: 'Nur Jahan Begum Padshah 1037 AH (islamic year) .This necklace was given by Jahangir, the 4th Mughal Emperor, to his wife Nur Jahan,” came a post on X.
The incident has reopened a discussion on Western celebrities wearing heritage items taken from India and the fight to reclaim them.
While some say the necklace should be given back to India, others mentioned that it should go to either Pakistan or Turkey.
“The Mughal Empire was founded by Babur, a Timurid ruler from present-day Uzbekistan and a descendant of Amir Timur. Therefore, the diamond necklace should go to the Uzbeks, not to India,” one of them wrote.
“STOLEN not taken,” another user said.
“That jewellery was crafted by Indians using Indian resources. And India will reclaim all of them in due time,” an X user commented.
Another netizen said, “As an Indian, I oppose claims that these jewels “belong to India.” Mughals and Muslims are foreign Turks and outsiders to India. We can’t claim their wealth as Indian heritage. Turkey and Pakistan deserve them more.”
