1 16 HISTORY OF THE PUNJAUB FROM
2 consequences of which were, that, contrary to
3 general expectation, he succeeded to the throne
4 of his father without the slightest tumult or
5 opposition. Hunjeet Singh was surrounded in
6 his last moments by his favourite minister, the
7 Rajah Dhyan Singh, the chief officers of his
8 household, and the principal ecclesiastics of the
9 kii^gdom, upon which latter he bestowed the
10 most extravagant donations. Amongst other
11 bequests, he directed that the far-famed Koh-i-
12 Noor diamond, valued at a million sterling,
13 which he had so disreputably obtained possession
14 of from Shah Soojah, should be given to the
15 high priests of the celebrated temple of Jugger-
16 nauth, a place of great sanctity, situated in the
17 south of Bengal, whither religious fanatics, at
18 a certain season annually, are in the habit of
19 making a pilgrimage from the remotest parts of
20 India ; but the intention of this latter bequest
21 was not fulfilled, and from recent accounts the
22 Koh-i-Noor is still in the Lahore treasury. For
23 many years towards the latter period of his life,
24 Runjeet Singh had been hoarding treasure,
25 which may be estimated to have amounted at
26 his decease to about eight crores of rupees in
27 cash, or the same number of millions of pounds
28 sterling, with jewels, shawls, horses, elephants,
29 &c., to several millions more. Even at the
30 present time, although much has been abstracted