By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net
In a significant development, Christie’s, the auction company has shelved its plan of auctioning valuable crowns and other jewelleries of erstwhile riyasat of Nawab of Rampur.
The auction of these valuables was scheduled on November 30 and December 1 in London by the company.
Sources at Rampur informed that the auction was shelved after scion of Nawab of Rampur, Nawab Kazim Ali Khan, contacted his counsel in London and approached the auction company. Once the auction was shelved, a token auction of pictures of these valuables was done.
Kashif Khan, co-convenor, INTACH, said that now efforts will be done to bring back these valuables to India. Kashif also stated that these valuables are of historical importance and should be preserved.
Kashif Khan informed that these crowns were worn by the Nawabs only on special occasions like when the coronation was done or when Darbar was in progress. They were also worn during the visit of Queen or Viceroy.
The Rampur’s Nawab clan is also now considering that how these crowns reached London. One option is that they were stolen from Kothi Khas Bagh in which several valuables went missing. At that time it was regarded as biggest theft in the county. The then MP of Rampur Nawab Zulfiqar Ali alias Mikki Miyan even raised the issue in parliament but no headway was made. Meanwhile some sources in Rampur claimed that the crowns were kept in bank lockers, and wondered how they reached London.