On May 28, 2023, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicates the new Parliament building to the nation, a slice of history will be revisited.
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The historic golden ‘sengol’ or sceptre that had been handed over to the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on the eve of Independence Day will be placed within the new Parliament premises, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.
A photo feature on Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam’s presentation of the Sengol to the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, published in The Hindu on August 29, 1947 | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives
The five-feet long intricately carved, unbending gold-plated silver sceptre, with a finial of Nandi (divine bull deity) on top, was specially commissioned by the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam and was handed over to the soon-to-be Prime Minister Nehru before his historic speech, ‘Tryst with Destiny’, given in the Constituent Assembly to announce the birth of the nation freed from British rule.
Expressing happiness about Mr. Shah’s announcement, the 24th and current seer of Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam, Sri La Sri Ambalavana Desika Paramacharya Swamigal said that on the day of the inauguration of the new Parliament building the sceptre would be handed over to Mr. Modi as a symbolic gesture.
‘Sengol’ is derived from Tamil word ‘semmai’, which means righteousness. Sengol had an important place in Tamil culture. When a new king is crowned, he would be presented with a ‘sengol’ during the coronation by the high priest as a symbol of transfer of power. The Sengol reminds the recipient that he has the “aanai” (order or decree) to rule justly and fairly.
A well-known historian and researcher of Sangam Literature told The Hindu that the handing over of a sceptre to denote the transfer of power has been in practice for nearly 2,000 years since the Sangam Age and finds mention in texts such as the Purananooru, Kurunthogai, Perumpaanatrupadai, and Kalithogai. A puranic story also mentions the deity Madurai Meenakshi Amman giving the sceptre to the Nayaka kings.
In this image released by the Ministry of Home Affairs, former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru is seen holding the ‘sengol‘ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
It was freedom fighter Rajaji (C. Rajagopalachari) who suggested to Nehru the ceremonial gesture, a tradition found to have beendocumented even in the Chola-era as a symbol of the transfer of power to a new king, according to sources in the Adheenam.
Rajaji was also swift to approach the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam in the old Thanjavur district, one of the oldest Saivaite Mutts in India, established in the 14th Century, to arrange for a sceptre. The Adheenam is located in the heart land of the erstwhile Chola kingdom, in the delta area of river Cauvery.
Sri La Sri Ambalavana Desika Swamigal, the seer of the Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam at the time, then commissioned a five-foot-long, intricately carved, unbending gold sceptre with a miniature replica of Nandi (divine bull on top, and tasked the craftsmen from Vummidi Bangaru, a famous jeweller in Madras, to get it done on time and as per specifications, according to sources in the Adheenam.
SCEPTRE TO BE PRESENTED TO NEHRU
Later, a delegation of three persons representing Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam – Sri La Sri Kumaraswamy Thambiran; the deputy high priest of the Mutt, Manickam Odhuvar; and famous nagaswaram musician T.N. Rajarathinam Pillai – flew to Delhi to hand over the sceptre.
The deputy high priest conducted the proceedings by giving the sceptre to Mountbatten before taking it back. Holy water having been sprinkled on the sceptre, it was taken on a procession to Nehru’s house. With the Odhuvar reciting hymns of ‘Kolaru Padhigam’ from the Thevaram composed by Saiva saint Thirugnana Sambandar, and Nagaswaram music by T.N. Rajarathinam Pillai, the sceptre was handed over to Nehru by Sri La Sri Kumaraswamy Thambiran, on August 14, 1947.
