20 Tamil Nadu Pontiffs To Attend New Parliament Building Inauguration

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said 20 aadeenams from Tamil Nadu have been invited for the inauguration of the new Parliament building on May 28, where the 'Sengol' will be installed, as did in 1947 to symbolise the power transformation from the British.

Addressing reporters here along with the Governors of Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Nagaland, she said TN has a "big proud part" to the episode of handing over of the Sengol (sceptre) to the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, symbolising the power transfer from the British to the people of India in 1947.

This was done on the advice of the Tiruvavduthurai adheenam after the late CR Rajagopalachary discussed it with the Shaivite pontiff following Nehru's consultations with him.

With the Sengol to be installed in the new Parliament building on May 28 during its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 20 'aadeenams' from Tamil Nadu, including Tiruvavaduthurai, Perur and Madurai have been invited for the event, she said.

In Tamil, the word 'Aadeenam' refers to both a Shaivite monastery and the head of such a math.

"The pontiffs will attend the event, there will be Oduvars (scholars in Shaivite scriptures and hymns) who will recite the Thevaram. In 1947 also the Sengol was handed over to Nehru when othuvargal recited Kolaru Pathigam," she said.

The same Sengol will be installed in Lok Sabha near the chair of the Lok Sabha Speaker with much reverence and it will symbolise "governance with justice and without any bias," she added.

TN Governor RN Ravi, his Telangana and Nagaland counterparts, Tamilsai Soundararajan and La Ganesan, respectively, Union Minister L Murugan and TN Minister PK Sekar Babu were present.