Sengol

Sengol is a gold sceptre that has Goddess Lakshami surrounded by the flowers on the orb and a sacred bull on top of it: sceptre is the symbol of imperial authority; the Goddess represents prosperity and the bull marks justice. It means where king honours righteous laws there rains wealth and happiness. During the Chola dynasty, power was passed on to a successor through a ritual in which the Rajaguru handed over a sengol to the new king at his coronation ceremony. On August 14, 1947 power was transferred from Lord Mountbatten to India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, following the same old custom under the guidance of C Rajagopalchari, the Governor General of India. Madras jeweller Vummudi Bangaru Chetty made the sengol and a deputy high priest of the Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam, a Shaiva Mutt in Tamil Nadu, sanctified it and handed it over to the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new Parliament building on May 28, 2023. He has decided to get power transferred from the old Parliament to the New Parliament with the rituals similar to how they were practised at PM Nehru’s home just before he left for Parliament House to deliver the historic ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech in the night joining August 14-15 1947. A Sengol made by the same Chennai-based jewellers will be installed on the specially designed pedestal in the Well of the House. Eight people belonging to the Adheenam, including the current seer the 24th Gurumaha Sannithanam Sri La Sri Ambalavana Desika Paramachariya Swamigal will conduct the service in the new building. The seer may hand over the Sengol to PM Narendra Modi.