“Grateful To PM Modi To Adopt…,” Says Maker Of Historic Sceptre

Chennai:

Vummidi Sudhakar, the chairman of Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers which made the historic ‘Sengol’ that will be installed in the new Parliament building on May 28, said that he was grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to follow the same procedures of handing over sceptre.

“We are the makers of the ‘Sengol’. It took us a month’s time to make it. It is made of silver and gold plated. I was 14 year old at that time. My elder brother was one of the directors who directed the making of it. We’re grateful to PM Modi to adopt the same procedures of handing over the Sengol,” Vummidi Sudhakar said while talking to ANI.

Talking about the cost of the Sengol, he said that it costs Rs 50,000 at that time.

The great-grandson of jeweller Vummidi Bangaru Chetty Vummidi Balaji called the PM’s decision to install the sceptre”very nostalgic”.

“Today after 75 years, ‘Sengol’ is being remembered. The government is recreating the entire event that happened in 1947. Very nostalgic and a beautiful feeling for us that our forefathers were part of history and now we’re also going to witness the recreation of that event,” Balaji said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new Parliament building on May 28. PM Modi will also install a ‘Sengol’, a historic sceptre next to Lok Sabha Speaker’s seat.

This sceptre has its own historic significance as it depicts the transfer of power.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah while giving its details said that this ‘Sengol’ was accepted by the first PM Jawahar Lal Nehru on August 14, 1947.

It was precisely the moment in which the Britishers transferred the power into the hands of Indians.

As per the official document, Jawahar Lal Nehru was asked by Lord Mountbatten how the transfer of powers would be symbolized. Nehru consulted C Rajagopalachari, the last Governor General of India, who told him about the ceremony performed during the Chola dynasty.

In the ceremony, the power transfer from one king to another was depicted by handing over of ‘Sengol’.

C Rajagopalachari was given a task by Jawahar Lal Nehru to arrange the sceptre- the ‘Sengol’ and he then reached Thiruvaduthurai Atheenam in Tamil Nadu, “Vummidi Bangaru Chetty” jewellers manufactured the ‘Sengol’. The ‘Sengol’ is five-feet-long and has a ‘Nandi’ bull on the top, which symbolises justice. Notably, a replica of the ‘Sengol’ is still kept by the descendants of Vummidi Bangaru.

This iconic ceremony was reported by local as well as international media. Just after the ceremony, PM Nehru delivered his famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech to the nation.

The Sengol emerged as an iconic symbol of the Chola reign, symbolizing the power, legitimacy, and sovereignty of the Chola kings. The Sengol, which was handed over to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, was the craftsmanship of Vummidi Bangaru, a famous jeweller in Madras.

The five-feet long intricately carved, unbending gold-plated silver sceptre, with a finial of Nandi (divine bull deity) on top, was specially commissioned by the Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam. A replica of the Sengol is still kept in the Vummidi Bangaru Jewellery and maintained by the descendants of Vummidi Bangaru.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)