NE EDUCATION BUREAU
NEW DELHI, SEPT 30
A thousand-year-old symbol from Tamil civilisation has found a place in the classroom of a new generation. The Sengol—an emblem associated with the Chola tradition of righteous rule—has entered the NCERT’s Class 9 Social Science textbook, bringing a distinctive strand of Tamil heritage into the national conversation on governance.
The textbook, Understanding Society: India and Beyond — Part 2, describes the Sengol as a “cultural marker of rulership and good governance” and traces its tradition to the Chola dynasty. Installed in the new Parliament building in 2023, the sceptre is presented not merely as a ceremonial object but as a symbol of the ethical responsibilities expected of those who wield power.
- NCERT’s new Class 9 Social Science textbook traces the Sengol’s tradition of righteous governance to the Chola dynasty
- Sacred Tamil sceptre described as a “cultural marker of rulership and good governance”
- Textbook recounts its presentation to Jawaharlal Nehru by Tamil Nadu’s Adheenam saints at Independence
- Crafted by Vummidi Bangaru Chetty and sanctified by seers of Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam
- Sengol’s place in the new Parliament connects an ancient Tamil tradition with a modern democratic institution
- Congress has questioned the historical evidence for its association with the formal transfer of power in 1947
“The Sengol, a cultural marker of rulership and good governance, was placed in India’s newly inaugurated Parliament building in the year 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The tradition of using the Sengol as a mark of righteous governance began more than a thousand years ago during the reign of the Chola dynasty,” the textbook states.
For Tamil Nadu, the reference places a legacy rooted in its history and spiritual traditions before students across the country. The Sengol’s significance, as presented in the book, lies in the principle that authority must be exercised with righteousness—a value that transcends the era and institution in which it is expressed.
From Tamil Nadu to the moment of Independence
The textbook also recounts the Sengol’s association with the transfer of power in 1947, linking the occasion to the Adheenam saints of Tamil Nadu, representing an old Shaivite tradition.
“To mark the occasion of India’s Independence, at the stroke of midnight on 15 August 1947, the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, received the Sengol from the Adheenam Saints (an old Shaivite tradition) of Tamil Nadu,” it states.
The account echoes the position advanced by the Union government when the Sengol was installed in the new Parliament building. In his address to the Lok Sabha chamber during the building’s inauguration in May 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Sengol had symbolised the transfer of power in 1947 under the guidance of C. Rajagopalachari, popularly known as Rajaji, and the Adheenams.
The historical interpretation, however, remains contested. The Congress has argued that there is no documented evidence that Lord Mountbatten, Rajagopalachari and Nehru described the sceptre as a symbol of the British transfer of power to India. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh raised this objection in 2023, after the government announced the Sengol’s installation in Parliament.
The distinction matters: the textbook records the account of the Sengol’s presentation to Nehru, while the broader claim about its precise constitutional and ceremonial significance in the transfer of power has been disputed.
A sceptre shaped by Tamil craftsmanship and tradition
The Ministry of Culture describes the Sengol as a sceptre steeped in the spiritual and cultural traditions of ancient Tamil civilisation. It says the object embodies the idea that temporal authority should be guided by dharma—righteousness.
“Once integral to the coronation rites of Tamil monarchs, the Sengol was not merely a ceremonial object but a profound testament to the ethical responsibilities bestowed upon a ruler. This sacred tradition was momentously revived on the eve of India’s independence in 1947, when a Sengol was solemnly presented to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru,” the ministry said.
The Sengol was handcrafted by Vummidi Bangaru Chetty and sanctified by the revered seers of Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam. According to the ministry, it marked the “civilisationally rooted” transfer of authority from colonial rule to a sovereign Indian state.
“It carried with it the blessings of spiritual guardianship and the timeless wisdom of India’s sacred legacy,” the ministry added.
An ancient ideal in a modern institution
The Sengol was installed by Modi in a glass enclosure beside the Lok Sabha Speaker’s podium on May 28, 2023, when the new Parliament building was inaugurated.
Its inclusion in the Class 9 textbook extends that presence from the parliamentary chamber to the classroom. It also introduces students to a Tamil tradition in which the legitimacy of rule is linked not only to authority, but to the obligation to govern justly.
The new textbook was released on Tuesday, around six months after the academic session began. Its first part was released in June.
For students encountering the Sengol through their Social Science lessons, the sceptre offers an entry point into Tamil history, craftsmanship, religious traditions and ideas of public responsibility. Its contested association with the events of 1947 also underlines the importance of examining historical claims alongside the evidence and interpretations surrounding them.
From the Chola legacy to the corridors of Parliament, the Sengol’s journey places Tamil heritage within India’s wider story of governance—and brings the enduring question of what constitutes righteous rule into the classroom.
