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to Santhavasantham, tiruva...@googlegroups.com
Good summary. https://www.jeyamohan.in/183402/ . But all the newspaper items, social media outpourings do NOT show how the concept of Sengol developed across the World, and in India, and for 2000 years in Tamil Nadu. Here is the outline. See my note on how the 1947 was done. Important is the musicologist, Dr. B. M. Sundaram interview. youtu.be/lPSPFxsILAU . As a school student he accompanied his father, and Nagasvara Chakravarti TNR Pillai in the delegation headed by Tiruvavaduturai Thambiran in 1947 to Delhi durbar event. Sasi Tharoor has said correctly. https://twitter.com/naa_ganesan/status/1664128223897083906
Rasikamani TKC (Tirunelveli), Rajaji and Dr. P. Subbarayan seem to have decided on the Nandi Sengol gift from Tamils to Nehru. All the three were interacting with the Śaiva Adheenams of Tanjore. Their attendance in Adheenam functions is recorded in Tamil journals Gnanasambandham, Tamizhp Pozhil, ... More research into the Tamil magazines of the period will show essays and recordings of the Delhi event. For example, Kalki may have written about this Sengol delegation. American eagle, sacred for the Native Americans, adorns the Mace of the House of Representatives in the USA: It was made for $ 400 in 1842.
Shashi Tharoor, M. P. said: "the Sengol sceptre is a traditional symbol of power & authority, and by placing it in the Lok Sabha, India is affirming that sovereignty resides there", i.e., with the democratically elected members. Similar to the Mace of the Republic in the USA, the Sengol must represent the just rule of the democratic Govt. of India via Parliament for centuries to come, and treat all the people of India with equal dignity and honor. That is principle of Sengol in all of Tamil literature including Tirukkuṟaḷ, Tolkāppiyam and Cilappatikāram.
The historic event of installing Nandi Sengol, near the Lok Sabha speaker's chair, by the PM of India is well recorded. For example, see Nandi Sengol in the panteon of sceptres in World history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sceptre . May be at an appropriate time, a commemorative coin can be issued by the Govt. of India, The coin should contain the Lion Capital of Asoka on one side and on the other, the Nandi Sengol. These are symbols of Democratic India's parliament, and are Indian civilizational links, the Lion Capital relates originally to Buddhism, while the symbol of righteousness (Dharma) - the Nandi relating to Hinduism and Buddhism. The India's future coin, with the Lion Capital and Nandi Sengol on its two sides, has a parallel from United States govt. coin, See the Sengol of the US House of Representatives, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mace_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives#/media/File:1989_US_Congress_Bicentennial_Silver_Dollar_Obverse_and_Reverse.jpg
History of Sengol (Dharma DaNDa, the sceptre of Dharma Devata (=Yama)) in Sumeria and in India -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mesopotamia had the concept of Sengol developed very well. The god holding sengol/dharma-daNDa was Utu/Shamash. As the Sun god, he was believed to see everything that happened in the world every day, and was therefore responsible for justice and protection of travelers. As a divine judge, he could be associated with the underworld. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamash The Code of Hammurabi stela depicts the god Shamash holding a staff. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sceptre#/media/File:Codice_di_hammurabi_03.JPG
In Sangam Tamil and in Sanskrit, the god of justice is the god of Death, Yama. He is called Dharma Devata or Dharma Raja, he holds the Sengol. The *only* god holding the Sengol in Sangam texts is the Yama, called naman/njeman/kuuRRu. I consider the occurence of Dharma DaNDa with Yama in Sangam texts is a heritage from Indus Valley, probably it ultimately is linked to Mesopotamia's Utu/Shamash .
In the Tevaram period, Dharma devata, called aRak kaDavuL in Tamil (actually Yama), becomes the white zebu, Nandi, to carry Mahadeva Siva. Hence, the Adhikara Nandi anthropomorphic sculptures hold the Dharma Danda (Sengol) in his hands, as a symbol of justice (Niiti) and righteousness (Dharma). All this contributed to the Tiruvaduturai Adheenam's gift of Nandi Sengol to Pundit Nehru on the evening of 14 August 1947. Listen to youtu.be/lPSPFxsILAU .
Mesopotamina links with Indus civilization can be clearly seen in two examples. (1) A parallel of Shamash/Utu and his sceptre in Sumeria with that of Yama's daNDa described in many places of Sangam literature, and the Sengol tradition continuing to this day, and now India's parliament has Nandi Sengol as a symbol of justice and dharma. (2) The tavvai/muudevi/jyesTha and her younger sister, koRRavai/Lakshmi. This tavvai was not worshipped after 10th century. Until then, in many texts and 100s of sculptures in Tamil Nadu. tavvai/jyesTha derives from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ereshkigal . And, the surviving traditions in Tamil Nadu derive from Indus civilization which was interacting with Mesopotamia.
Look at the color of Turban - saffron (kaavi) - a color of renunciates, color in India-born religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism. We also saw this color when Nandi Sengol of Tamil Nadu became the Mace of the Loksabha (People's House) of India. The mace of the Indian Lok Sabha has an old parallel in the United States: