Prime minister Narendra Modi, on May 28, inaugurated the new Parliament House and installed the Sengol with the Nandi atop. He also lit the lamp and offered flowers to the Sengol.
Referring to the establishment of sacred Sengol, the Prime Minister said that in the great Chola empire, Sengol was seen as a symbol of the path of service, duty and nation.
Here we see how the neighbourhood of Adyar can be proud of the Sengol…
How did Sengol come into the limelight?
The use of a sceptre as a symbol of power has its origin in the Chola dynasty, when transfer of power was symbolised with the transfer of Sengol from one king to another. Sengol was the symbol of authority and the Nandi at its head symbolised justice.
In 1947, when the British were to transfer the powers to India, there was a dilemma on what to use to symbolise the transfer. Jawaharlal Nehru, who was to become the first Prime Minister of independent India, turned to Rajaji for a solution. Rajaji inturn looked into the country’s past. The dynasties of Pandyas, Pallavas and Cholas had different symbols of authority / power. This particular one, Sengol, was inspired by the one used by the Cholas.
Rajaji then contacted the Kanchi seer of the time who directed him to the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam. The Adheenam commissioned the making of the sceptre to Vummidi Bangaru Chetty and Sons jewellery store at Parry’s Corner, who designed and created the Sengol in around 10 days. This sceptre was then used as a symbol of power transfer on our Independence Day. Sengol soon got lost in history and lay at the Allahabad Museum as a ‘Golden Walking Stick presented to Pt.Jawaharlal Nehru’.
In 2021, an article published in the Tamil weekly magazine, Thuglak, caught the eyes of dancer Padma Subrahmanyam (a resident of Adyar), who shared the translated version of the same with the Prime Minister’s Office. The article narrated the story of the Sengol as told by the then Kanchi Seer (1978) to one of the disciples.
When the letter caught the attention of the officials, history books were turned and soon the Sengol found its place in the new Parliament House.
Honoured to be a part of Sengol installation history: Family of Prakruthi Vummidi Bangaru, Gandhi Nagar
On the occasion of the inauguration of the new Parliament House, the Prime Minister also honoured the members of the Vummidi Bangaru Chetty family, who had designed and made the sceptre in 1947, at the behest of C.Rajagopalachari or Rajaji, as he was fondly called, to symbolise the transfer of power from the British to India.
The family has since branched out and one its stores ‘Prakruthi’ is located at Gandhi Nagar, Adyar. A press release from Vummidi Bangaru family members, Kalpana Vummidi and Prashanth Vummudi (Managing Directors, Prakruthi Vummidi Bangaru, Adyar) conveyed that they are absolutely honoured to be part of such a huge piece of the nation’s history proud to serve the country in their own unique way by keeping alive the culture and traditions left behind by their forefathers, and further building on it for the future.
Speaking about how the heritage is kept relevant in current times, Kalpana Vummidi (MD, Prakruthi Vummidi Bangaru) said, “We bring tradition and personalisation together. We give personal attention to customers who want custom designs and help take the craftsmanship and family heritage forward by creating exceptional bespoke designs that our forefathers would not only approve but be proud of.”
Prashanth Vummidi (MD, Prakruthi Vummidi Bangaru) added, “We feel immensely blessed that our multi-generation family has given us this heritage and passion. It is a responsibility and a pleasure to be committed to our craft and to deliver the best, keeping in line with the Vummidi heritage.”
At Prakruthi Vummidi Bangaru, they also support their highly-skilled artisans, who hand-make their jewellery, to keep their livelihood going, and the craft and tradition alive.
Prakruthi Vummidi Bangaru specialises in bespoke jewellery, giving special attention to each and every customer to help them with designing exactly what they are looking for and delivering it with the highest quality craftsmanship as well as flawless diamonds, other precious stones, and gold.
They are at No:44, B Ramachandra Adithanar Road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, Chennai: 600020; Ph: 044 4350 4460.
