Why in news? ‘Sengol’ to be installed in the new parliament building when it is inaugurated on May 28.

Highlights:

• The Sengol gets its name from the Tamil word ‘semmai’, meaning righteousness. The sceptre is a historical symbol of Independence as it signifies the transfer of power from the British to the Indians.
• The Sengol ceremony seemingly took place minutes before India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted the National Flag and made his famous “Tryst with destiny” speech on August 15, 1947. It had been kept at his Prayagraj residence-turned-museum till now.
• The same Sengol from 1947 will be installed by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha, prominently close to the Speaker’s podium. The establishment of “Sengol”, makes the spirit of 15 August 1947 unforgettable. It is the symbol of the promise of boundless hope, boundless possibilities and a resolve to build a strong and prosperous nation. It will be a symbol of the Amrit Kaal, which will witness the glorious era in which India will be taking its rightful place.
• This historic plan has been prepared in consultation with the presidents of Adheenam. All 20 Adheenam presidents will also be present on this auspicious occasion to shower their blessings in reminiscence of this sacred ritual.

Background:

• With the nation ravaged by Partition and violence, the ceremony had to be arranged post-haste and it not being a legal or formal matter, remained unrecorded. As a result, the sacred Sengol and its vesting ceremony seem to have disappeared from the institutional memory of the Indian state.
• Minutes before Mr. Nehru addressed the nation as the Prime Minister, the Government of India had followed the sacred Sengol-vesting model of Chola kings of Tamil Nadu for transfer of power from the British to Indians.
• The then Prime Minister had been handed over the Sengol with the Nandi (bull deity) finial amid the singing of the sacred Tamil text Thevaram — symbolic of divine blessings and command to rule justly and fairly.

How was the sengol made?

• They found that the golden sceptre was studded with jewels and worth ₹15,000 at that time and was made by Vummidi Bangaru Chetty and Sons, jewellers and diamond merchants of Chennai.