PM Narendra Modi places the ‘Sengol’ in the new Parliament, a symbolic gesture commemorating India’s past while embracing its future.
NEW DELHI – In a symbolic gesture resonating with historical significance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi installed the ‘Sengol’ in the Lok Sabha chamber at the new Parliament Building.
The ceremony took place on Sunday, May 28, amid Vedic chants by high priests of various ‘adheenams’ (maths) from Tamil Nadu.
The Sengol, a Tamil term meaning ‘full of wealth’, was presented to India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, on the eve of Independence, as a symbol of the transfer of power from the British.
The scepter, which had been stored in a museum in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh for nearly seven decades, has been given its rightful place in the Parliament once again.
After a Ganapati Homam ritual, PM Modi performed a Sashtanga Namaskara to the Sengol and the Saivite saints before receiving the Sengol from the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam.
A short parade, or Shobha Yatra, was then taken out to the New Parliament building, with traditional Carnatic musicians leading the way.
The Prime Minister, along with Speaker Om Birla and several Union Ministers, then placed the Sengol near the Speaker’s seat in the new Lok Sabha hall.
The ceremony reached a climactic end with the reverberating notes of the Nadaswaram and the tempo of the Thavils.
The installation of the Sengol is seen as a symbolic move that bridges India’s historical past with its promising future, reaffirming the nation’s commitment to its destiny and civilizational role.
