The "Orlov Diamond": A Stolen Gem from India’s Srirangam Temple later gifted to Empress Catherine the great.

Navrang India July 15, 2025

Orlov diamond stolen from the Srirangam Hindu temple,India. imgarcade.com

Orlov diamond stolen from the Vishnu  temple, Srirangam, India. imgarcade.com

Above  image: Orlov diamond, is  a large  diamond  and  is  part  of  the  collection of  the Diamond  Fund  of  the Moscow Kremlin. It was mined at now defunct  Kollur  mines  near  Guntur in  present day Andhra state (once part of Golconda kingdom). It  weighs 189.62  carats  and is a  bluish  white  stone, one  of  the  impressive Russian.
collections.............

tripod.com

Above image: The Imperial Scepter of Russia, viewed from straight-on. The Orlov is surrounded  by a row of small Old Mine cut diamonds.  Count Grigorievich Orlov (1723-83), a Russian nobleman and an army officer to renew his friendship  with  Grand Duchess, Catherine, presented it  to  her..........

In  India  it  has  been  part  of the Hindu temple tradition  to  adorn  the  idols  of  Gods and  Goddesses  with valuable  gold jewelry  with high  quality  precious stones.  In the olden days  most of the highly valued  old  jewels  were  donated  by kings and Rajas . Even today affluent people  do donate  gold, silver, precious stones, coins, jewelry, etc.,  to  the  temple  as  part of  their  prayer and wish. 

The Orlov Diamond, now one of the crown jewels of Russia, has its origins steeped in mystery, devotion, betrayal, and colonial intrigue. This legendary diamond once adorned the eye of the deity Ranganatha (Lord Vishnu) at the revered Srirangam Temple in Tamil Nadu, one of the largest functioning Hindu temples in the world.

Mined in the Kollur diamond fields near the Krishna River in present-day Andhra Pradesh—once part of the famed Golconda Kingdom—the Orlov is a bluish-white diamond weighing approximately 189.62 carats. It is famed for its unique shape, often described as resembling half a hen’s egg.

In 1747, during the turbulent period of the Anglo-French Carnatic Wars, a French soldier-turned-Hindu convert infiltrated the inner sanctum of the Srirangam temple. Gaining the trust of temple priests over time, he managed to enter the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum), where only priests are allowed, and removed one of the diamonds from the deity’s eyes. Afraid of divine retribution, he left the other untouched.

Empress Catherine the great. famousdiamonds.tripod.com

Fleeing to Madras, he sold the diamond to a British ship captain for £2,000. It later changed hands in London for £12,000. Eventually, the stone reached the hands of Count Grigory Orlov, a Russian nobleman and former lover of Empress Catherine the Great. Hoping to rekindle their romance, he gifted the diamond to her in 1772, having purchased it for 400,000 rubles via an Iranian merchant. Though the gesture failed to win back her affection, the Empress had it mounted on the Russian Imperial Scepter. 

Orlov diamond sri Renganathar temple, Srirangam.TN panoramio.com.

According to legend, the temple priests of Srirangam cursed the diamond, declaring its possessors would suffer endless misfortune. Count Orlov, deeply depressed after Catherine spurned him, died in 1783. During Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, the gem was reportedly hidden in a priest’s tomb, further enhancing its mysterious aura.

The Orlov Diamond remains not only a symbol of imperial grandeur but also a stolen legacy of India’s spiritual and cultural heritage. Its journey from a divine idol in Srirangam to a Russian sceptre tells a tale of greed, devotion, and enduring legend.