Historic ‘Sengol’ installed in new Parliament building by PM Modi

Priests of various adheenams in Tamil Nadu offered flowers to 'Sengol' as PM Modi performed a havan to mark the inauguration of the new Parliament building.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi installed the sacred 'Sengol' from Tamil Nadu in the Lok Sabha chamber, right next to the Speaker's chair, in the new Parliament building after performing puja on Sunday morning. Modi was handed over the historic 'Sengol' by high priests of various adheenams or maths in Tamil Nadu before its instalment in the new building. Modi took a decision to adopt Sengol as a national symbol of the Amrit Kaal.

‘Sengol’ being installed in new Parliament building by PM Narendra Modi in the presence of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.(ANI)

This is the same Sengol that was accepted by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at his residence on the night of August 14, in the presence of several leaders.

Dressed in a traditional attire, Modi walked into the Parliament premises from its Gate No. 1 and was welcomed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Amid Vedic chants by priests from Karnataka's Shringeri Math, the prime minister performed "Ganapati Homam" to invoke Gods to bless the inauguration of the new Parliament building.

The prime minister prostrated before the "Sengol" and sought blessings from high priests of various adheenams in Tamil Nadu with the holy sceptre in hand.

Modi then carried the "Sengol" in a procession amid tunes of "nadaswaram" and chanting of Vedic mantras to the new Parliament building and installed it in a special enclosure on the right side of the Speaker's chair in the Lok Sabha chamber.

Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, S Jaishankar and Jitendra Singh, chief ministers of several states and BJP president JP Nadda was present on the occasion.

The prime minister felicitated some workers who played key roles in the construction of the new Parliament building.