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{{Short description|Golden sceptre in the Parliament of India}}
{{italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2023}}
[[File:PM lighting the lamp at the inauguration of New Parliament Building, in New Delhi on May 28, 2023 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=0.6| The Sengol in its case at the [[Loksabha|Lok Sabha]]]]

The '''''Sengol''''' ([[Sanskrit]]:सेंगोलम, [[Tamil language|Tamil]]: செங்கோல்) is a gold-plated, silver [[sceptre]] that is installed in the [[Lok Sabha]] or [[lower house]] of the [[New Parliament House, New Delhi|Parliament of India]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=2023-05-25 |title=Sengol {{!}} Evidence thin on government's claims about the sceptre |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sengol-evidence-thin-on-governments-claims-about-the-sceptre/article66894055.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525183813/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sengol-evidence-thin-on-governments-claims-about-the-sceptre/article66894055.ece |archive-date=25 May 2023 |access-date=2023-06-06 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> The sceptre was presented to [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], the first [[Prime Minister of India]], by a [[Tamils|Tamil]] ''[[Matha#Aadheenams|Adheenam]]'' in an informal ceremony on the evening before the [[Independence of India]] in 1947. The ''Sengolam'' was initially housed at [[Allahabad Museum]] for decades until it was moved to its present location at the [[Parliament House, New Delhi|new parliament building]] during its inauguration by Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]] Ji in May 2023.

== History ==

As the [[independence of India]] drew near, [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] and other members of the [[Indian National Congress]] (INC or Congress) took part in religious ceremonies and received gifts.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=The Many Holes in the Union Government's Claims Around the Sengol |url=https://thewire.in/history/the-many-holes-in-the-union-governments-claims-around-the-sengol |access-date=2023-05-28 |website=The Wire}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine |date=1947-08-25 |title=INDIA: Oh Lovely Dawn |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,798062,00.html |url-status=live |magazine=Time |language=en-US |issn=0040-781X |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524200128/https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,798062,00.html |archive-date=2023-05-24 |access-date=2023-05-26}}</ref> On such an occasion on 14 August 1947, emissaries from the [[Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam|Tiruvāvaḍutuṟai Ādhīṉam Maṭha]], a [[Shaivism|Shaivite]] monastery in the erstwhile [[Tanjore District (Madras Presidency)|Tanjore district]] of [[Madras Presidency]] (nowadays [[Tamil Nadu]]), presented Nehru with the ''Sengol'' at his home.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":7" /><ref name=":0" /> According to a report in the ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'':

{{Blockquote|quote=From Tanjore in south India came two emissaries of Śrī Ambalavāṇa Dēśikar, head of a sannyasi order of Hindu ascetics. Śrī Ambalavāṇa thought that Nehru, as first Indian head of a really Indian Government ought, like ancient Hindu kings, to receive the symbol of power and authority from Hindu holy men ... One sannyāsi carried a sceptre of gold, five feet long, two inches thick. He sprinkled Nehru with holy water from Tanjore and drew a streak in sacred ash across Nehru's forehead. Then he wrapped Nehru in the pītāmbaram and handed him the golden sceptre. He also gave Nehru some cooked rice which had been offered that very morning to the dancing god Naṭarāja in south India, then flown by plane to Delhi.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,798062-1,00.html |title=INDIA: Oh Lovely Dawn |work=Time |date=25 August 1947}}</ref>}}

The event had negligible impact on public discourse at the time;<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> contemporaneous news clips recorded the gift of the ''Sengol'' as a courtesy.<ref name=":7" /> Soon afterwards, the ''Sengol'' and other belongings of Nehru were donated to [[Allahabad Museum]] in [[Prayagraj]].

The ''Sengolam'' lost prominence until it was placed in the [[Lok Sabha]] during the inauguration of [[New Parliament House, New Delhi|New Parliament House]], [[New Delhi]], in 2023.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2023-05-28 |title=Manu S Pillai on Sengol: For some, rediscovery is cultural renascence, for others, political Hinduisation of a national symbol |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-history/sengol-new-parliament-controversy-manu-pillai-interview-8632977/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528102046/https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-history/sengol-new-parliament-controversy-manu-pillai-interview-8632977/ |archive-date=28 May 2023 |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> At the inauguration, Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]], who was accompanied by Hindu priests heading the 20 ''[[Adheenam]]s'' in Tamil Nadu, installed the ''Sengol'' near the chair of the [[Speaker of the Lok Sabha]].<ref name="NYTSengol">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/28/world/asia/india-parliament.html|title=Modi Opens India's New Parliament Building as Opposition Boycotts|publisher=New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Video of Sengol installed in new Parliament building |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfFCAZ6yLDs |access-date=2023-08-14 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Nath |first=Akshaya |date=2023-06-03 |title=Sengol puts focus on Tamil Nadu's Adheenams. Wings clipped by Dravidian politics, now courted by BJP |url=https://theprint.in/politics/sengol-puts-focus-on-tamil-nadus-adheenams-wings-clipped-by-dravidian-politics-now-courted-by-bjp/1608001/ |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref>

Indian Government published a widely discredited historical narrative, regarding the Sengol, claiming it was used in an official ceremony to symbolise the transfer of power from Britain to India.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-02 |title=Criticism of the historicity of Sengol is baseless |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/criticism-of-the-historicity-of-sengol-is-baseless-8641365/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602130103/https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/criticism-of-the-historicity-of-sengol-is-baseless-8641365/ |archive-date=2 June 2023 |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> [[File:PM installs ‘Sengol’ at new Parliament building, in New Delhi on May 28, 2023.jpg|thumb|PM Modi receiving the Sengol from Hindu (''Adheenam'') priests in 2023]]

== Design ==
Vummidi Bangaru Chetty, a jeweller from [[Madras]] (currently Chennai), crafted the ''Sengol''.<ref name=":4" /> The ''Sengol'' is a handcrafted, [[gold-plated]] sceptre about {{convert|5|ft|spell=in|abbr=out}} long, and has a diameter of about {{convert|3|in|spell=in|abbr=out}} at the top and {{convert|1|in|spell=in|abbr=out}} at the bottom. It encases a wooden staff and is surmounted by a sitting [[Nandi (Hinduism)|Nandi]] to symbolise justice and righteousness <ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine |date=1947-08-25 |title=INDIA: Oh Lovely Dawn |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,798062,00.html |url-status=live |magazine=Time |language=en-US |issn=0040-781X |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524200128/https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,798062,00.html |archive-date=2023-05-24 |access-date=2023-05-26}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{cite news |date=24 May 2023 |title=Why a historic ‘sengol’ is being installed in new Parliament building & how it was made |newspaper=[[ThePrint]] |url=https://theprint.in/india/why-a-historic-sengol-is-being-installed-in-new-parliament-building-how-it-was-made/1592623/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=New Parliament: What Is The Significance Of Sengol In Rs 20,000 Crore-Worth Central Vista Project? |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/business/new-parliament-what-is-the-significance-of-sengol-in-rs-20-000-crore-worth-central-vista-project--news-289354}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-05-24 |title=New Parliament building opening {{!}} How a letter to PMO set off a search for the Sengol |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/new-parliament-building-opening-how-a-letter-to-pmo-set-off-search-for-the-sengol/article66889495.ece |url-status=live |access-date=2023-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524181219/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/new-parliament-building-opening-how-a-letter-to-pmo-set-off-search-for-the-sengol/article66889495.ece |archive-date=2023-05-24 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=அகஸ்டஸ் |date=2023-05-25 |title=நாடாளுமன்றத்தில் செங்கோல்; இதற்கும் சோழர்களுக்கும் என்ன தொடர்பு? - தரவுகளுடன் விரிவான அலசல் |url=https://www.vikatan.com/government-and-politics/story-about-historic-sengol-to-be-installed-in-new-parliament-building |access-date=2023-05-25 |website=www.vikatan.com |language=ta}}</ref>

== Reception ==
Barely a fortnight after Nehru received the ''Sengol'', [[C. N. Annadurai]], a Dravidian nationalist and the future first [[List of chief ministers of Tamil Nadu|Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu]], wrote a polemical tract on the subject for ''Dravida Nadu'', pondering the socio-political implications of his acceptance. He warned the motive of the Adheenam was to convince the public later they had inaugurated the new government.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Annadurai Cautioned the 1947 Govt and Nehru About the Motives Behind the ‘Gift’ of the Sengol |url=https://thewire.in/history/look-at-the-sengol-and-pay-attention-to-the-lessons-it-offers-c-n-annadurais-appeal-to-nehru |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=The Wire}}</ref>

Many political analysts have noted the increasing use of Hindu grammar in the domains of the state. In 2023, ''[[The New York Times]]'' noted that this sceptre emerged as a key object encapsulating the meaning of the new Parliament, that is, "to shed not just the remnants of India's colonial past, but also increasingly to replace the secular governance that followed it".<ref name="NYTSengol2">{{cite web |title=Modi Opens India's New Parliament Building as Opposition Boycotts |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/28/world/asia/india-parliament.html |publisher=New York Times}}</ref> Others found the use of a monarchical relic unsuitable for a parliamentary democracy.<ref name=":62">{{Cite news |date=2023-05-28 |title=The Sengol Is a Symbol of 'Divine Right' to Power |language=en-IN |work=The Wire |url=https://thewire.in/politics/sengol-divine-right-parliament-people |access-date=2023-05-28}}</ref>

== Electoral context ==
According to analysts, the 2023 episode with the ''Sengol'' was part of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]'s (BJP) strategy to present itself as champions of Tamil culture.<ref name=":12" /> The party was aiming to gain electoral significance in South India through its Look South campaign.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-07-10 |title=Nationally dominant, BJP prepares for southern march |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/nationally-dominant-bjp-prepares-for-southern-march/articleshow/92782439.cms |access-date=2023-08-22 |issn=0971-8257}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last=Rajagopalan |first=R. |date=2022-11-21 |title=Modi's Tamil-Varanasi outreach is BJP's ‘Look South’ strategy. Fort DMK better watch out |url=https://theprint.in/opinion/modis-tamil-varanasi-outreach-is-bjps-look-south-strategy-fort-dmk-better-watch-out/1227076/ |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-08-08 |title=In Tamil Nadu, BJP’s strategic moves |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/in-tamil-nadu-bjps-strategic-moves/article65746396.ece |access-date= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808190733/https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/in-tamil-nadu-bjps-strategic-moves/article65746396.ece |archive-date=8 August 2022 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> Soon after the ''Sengol''{{'s}} installation, [[Amit Shah]] asked Tamil voters to elect 25 [[National Democratic Alliance|BJP coalition]] legislators to Parliament as a show of gratitude.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-06-11 |title=T.N. should elect over 25 NDA MPs as thanks for Sengol installation: Amit Shah |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/tn-must-elect-more-than-25-nda-mps-in-2024-as-gratitude-for-installing-sengol-in-parliament-amit-shah/article66958025.ece |access-date=2023-08-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230611170411/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/tn-must-elect-more-than-25-nda-mps-in-2024-as-gratitude-for-installing-sengol-in-parliament-amit-shah/article66958025.ece |archive-date=11 June 2023 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[New Parliament House, New Delhi|New Parliament House]]
* [[Ceremonial mace]]
{{Clear}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}

[[Category:Ceremonial maces]]
[[Category:Formal insignia]]
[[Category:Indian metalwork]]

Sengol - Revision history

AgnesOppen5: added info