Historical sceptre 'Sengol' to be installed in new Parl building

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 24

The government today announced that on the occasion of the inauguration of the new Parliament building on May 28, PM Narendra Modi would install ‘Sengol’ — a historical sceptre from Tamil Nadu which was given by the British to first PM Jawaharlal Nehru to represent the transfer of power and was kept in a museum in Allahabad — near the chair of Speaker Lok Sabha.

In step with chola tradition

• ‘Sengol’ was originally used to mark the handing over of power from one king to another during the Chola dynasty in Tamil Nadu
• In 1947, it was given by the British to first PM Nehru to represent the transfer of power and was kept at a museum in Allahabad
• It will be installed near the chair of the Lok Sabha Speaker
• Vummidi Ethirajulu (96) and Vummidi Sudhakar (88), involved in the making of the original ‘Sengol’ in 1947, are expected to attend the inauguration

Union Home Minister Amit Shah noted that ‘Sengol’ is a ‘significant historical’ symbol of Independence as it symbolises the transfer of power from the British to the Indians. It was originally used to mark the handing over of power from one king to another during the Chola dynasty in Tamil Nadu, he added.

The ‘Sengol’ to be installed in the new Parliament building near the chair of the Lok Sabha Speaker is the original one received by Nehru, he said.

“The ruler would be vested with the ‘Sengol’ with the order (‘aanai’ in Tamil) to rule with ‘dharma’, meaning justly and fairly,” the Home Minister told the media. He was flanked by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur and Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy.

On August 14, 1947, ‘Sengol’ was accepted by Nehru in the presence of Rajendra Prasad, who later became India’s first President, and many others.

Prof S Rajavelu, formerly with the Department of Maritime History and Marine Archaeology of Tamil University, said “The use of ‘Sengol’ has been popular since the Sangam age. The Tamil classic Thirukkural hails the importance of the ‘Sengol’. There is a whole chapter on the sceptre .”