On Wednesday, May 24, Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the Chola dynasty sceptre ‘Sengol’ will be placed in the new Parliament building. Since then, it has come to light that Sengol was mentioned in the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government’s document from 2021-22.
Sengol was presented to the first Prime Minister of India Jawahar Lal Nehru by Lord Mountbatten as a symbol of the transfer of power. The historic artefact, linked to the Hindu religion, was since then placed in a hidden corner of Anand Bhawan, Nehru’s residence in Prayagraj, mislabelled as the ‘golden walking stick gifted to Nehru’.
Sengol was mentioned on page 27 of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Policy Note 2021-2022 by Tamil Nadu Government’s Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments Department under the section ‘Head of Mutts as Royal Counsel’. While speaking about the significance of Sengol, HM Shah pointed out that Tamil media had covered it widely, and the Tamil Nadu government also mentioned it. On May 25, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya also shared a screenshot of the policy note on Twitter.
This is very interesting. The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Policy Note of 2021-22, published by the DMK Govt, proudly recounts the Sengol ceremony of 1947.#SengolAtNewParliament pic.twitter.com/KuMZPOEh85
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) May 25, 2023
It read, “At the time of enthronement, the traditional guru or the preceptor of the King would hand over the ceremonial Sceptre to the new ruler. Following this tradition when the Oduvars completed the singing of the last line of “11th stanza” from Kolaru Pathigam, Thevaram, Thiruvavaduthurai Aadheenam Thambiran Swamigal handed over the goldplated silver sceptre to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. This signified the transfer of power from the British Governor-General Lord Mountbatten to the first Prime Minister of India.”
About Sengol and GoI’s decision to place it in the new parliament building
On May 24, HM Shah talked about the historical significance of the sceptre. He said that while the historically significant sceptre was used as a transfer of power in 1947, it vanished after that as it was kept in a museum, and the successive Congress governments and the general public quickly forgot about it. Now the Modi government is reviving the glory of the Sengol by placing it in India’s parliament.
Sengol is a Tamil world, which means full of wealth. “This Sengol has huge significance. When PM Modi got to know about this, he asked to get more info on this,” Amir Shah said. He added, “August 14, 1945, around 10:45, Nehru accepted this Sengol from the people of Tamil Nadu. It is a sign of a shift of power from Britishers to the people of this country.”
When it was decided that the British will hand over power to the Indians, Lord Mountbatten asked Pandit Nehru about the cultural symbol that should be used as a representation of the transfer of power. However, Nehru was also not sure, he sought some time to discuss with others. He discussed the matter with C Rajagopalachari. He studied multiple historic books and informed Jawaharlal Nehru about the Sengol.
The golden sceptre is studded with jewels and was worth about Rs 15000 at that time. Nandi, the bull vahana of Lord Shiva, sits on the top of the sceptre. Nandi is the protector and symbol of justice, said the description given at the press conference. The Sengol is 5 feet long, which is a masterpiece of Indian art with rich workmanship from top to bottom.
Following that, the head of the Thiruvaduthurai Mutt Sri La Sri Ambalavana Desika Swamigal sent the Sengol to Nehru, who accepted it to use as a symbol of power. The seer had sent a delegation carrying the spectre in a special aircraft arranged by the government.
