New Delhi: On January 18, 1927, when the present Parliament House was inaugurated by Viceroy Lord Irwin, the ceremony was devoid of any vestiges of Indian culture or “tradition”. An obvious but welcome contrast, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the new Parliament House on May 28, it will be a festive occasion where our timeless traditions and civilizational heritage will be honored and celebrated. During this historic occasion of the inauguration of the new building, the scepter, or “sengol” as it is called in Tamil, will be installed by Prime Minister Modi in the hallowed building of our democracy.
The scepter has a history. As the dawn of independence approached, the then Viceroy Louis Mountbatten asked Jawaharlal Nehru how he intended to signal the transfer of power by Britain to India. When Nehru went to C Rajagopalachari for advice, the latter suggested that the historical Indian civilization tradition could be followed in the southern states, where the high priest of the state hands over the ceremonial sengol to the new king, signifying the transfer of power . Rajaji’s suggestion that the handing over of the scepter to the incoming prime minister could represent a transfer of power by the British Viceroy was welcomed.
Rajaji then requested Sri Ambalavana Desika Swamigal, the then priest of Thiruvaduthurai Adhanam (a Saivite monastery in Tamil Nadu) to take up the responsibility of designing the scepter. The seer commissioned a lapidary in Madras to make the scepter. It was made of silver with a gold coating adorned by Nandi, a symbol of strength and truth.
On August 14, 1947, a delegation consisting of Sri Kumaraswamy Thambiran (representative of the seer), Manickam Odhuvar (the priest who would offer prayers) and Nadaswaram scholar, T N Rajarathinam Pillai, went to Delhi.
A few minutes before midnight on the eve of Independence, accompanied by the melodious sound of nadhaswaram, the priest chants “Kolaru Pathigam” from “Thevaram”, a devotional hymn composed in praise of Lord Shiva by the Saivite saint Thirugnana Sambandar about 1,300 years ago . When the last stanza, “Adiyargal Vanil Arsalavar Anai Namthe” (“We command that his humility shall rule heaven”) was recited, Sri Kumaraswamy Thambiran received the scepter from Lord Mountbatten and dipped it in Ganga Jal (holy water). Sprinkled and handed over. The scepter to Nehru symbolizing the transfer of power.
While most Indians are familiar with the Tryst With Destiny speech, the momentous event of the handing over of Sengol has gone largely unnoticed in the annals of our glorious past. After the transfer of power in 1947, this sacred Sengol was completely forgotten in a museum in Allahabad as the “Golden Walking Stick gifted to Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru”.
The “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” launched by the government to commemorate 75 years of independence has ensured that the unsung heroes and heroines and untold achievements get the respect they deserve.
The Kashi Tamil Sangam explicitly called for unity between the north and the south, while the Madhavpur Mela demonstrated harmony between the Mishmi tribes of Gujarat in the west and Arunachal Pradesh in the east. Similarly, this story of Sengol clearly shows the innate civilizational connect and commonality of our great country since time immemorial.
The Prime Minister has always been an ardent votary of harnessing technology and modernity as well as drawing inspiration from our rich spiritual and cultural heritage. This sacred scepter as well as the new Parliament equipped with state-of-the-art technology will stand testimony to the Prime Minister’s inclusive vision for India.
The word sengol in Tamil is derived from the word semmai which means righteousness. The recipient of the Senggol is believed to have the command to rule fairly and justly. A timeless treasure of wisdom, the Thirukkural has an entire chapter – The Right Scepter – consisting of 10 couplets. Doha 546 states, “The lance does not give victory to kings / But the scepter flows with equity”.
It is indeed fitting that our Prime Minister is installing this sacred scepter in its rightful place behind the Speaker’s chair in the Lok Sabha. From this position, in the temple of our democracy, this Sengol will eternally symbolize the rule of Dharma, the core of civilization by which our great nation is governed.
