New Delhi: Fans made of deer hair, the nadaswaram instrument, a pithambaram (silk fabric said to be the cloth of god) and the golden ‘sengol’ — these were the key elements in the transfer of power from the British to India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, on the eve of Independence in August 1947, as described in an article by TIME magazine.
The article, dated 25 August, 1947, breaks down the elaborate ceremony.
It states that on the momentous occasion of becoming India’s first prime minister, “even such an agnostic” as Nehru fell into the “religious spirit”.
The ceremony of transfer of power was led by two emissaries of Sri Amblavana Desigar — a sannyasi order of Hindus ascetics — from Tanjore (now Thanjavur). The emissaries were accompanied by southern India’s “most famous” player of the nadaswaram (a kind of flute).
“Sri Amblavana thought that Nehru, as first Indian head of a really Indian government ought, like ancient Hindu kings, to receive the symbol of power and authority from Hindu holy men,” says the article.
On the evening of 14 August, the sannyasis — who were streaked with sacred ash — solemnly progressed to Nehru’s house. One of the escorts bore a large silver platter and on it was the pithambaram. When at last they reached Nehru’s house, the flutist played while the sannyasis awaited an invitation from Nehru, says the article.
“Then they entered the house in dignity, fanned by two boys with special fans of deer hair. One sannyasi carried a sceptre of gold, five feet long, two inches thick. He sprinkled Nehru with holy water from Tanjore and drew a streak in sacred ash across Nehru’s forehead. Then he wrapped Nehru in the pithambaram and handed him the golden sceptre. He also gave Nehru some cooked rice which had been offered that very morning to the dancing god Nataraja in south India, then flown by plane to Delhi,” it adds.
In the evening, India’s future leaders arrived at the residence of Rajendra Prasad, president of the Constituent Assembly, for “secular business”.
A miniature temple was made in the backyard, where “several thousand” women chanted hymns, and the makers of the Constitution received holy water from a priest.
They then proceeded, at 11 pm, to the Constituent Assembly Hall ablaze with the colours of India’s new flag, and Nehru made his famous speech marking India’s Independence from British rule.
In a similar ritual Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building in New Delhi. Around 7.30 am, the PM sat for a havan — a fire ritual performed with mantras and chants, involving Hindu priests — in the presence of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and subsequently prostrated himself before the historic sceptre, the ‘sengol’.
Modi then carried the sceptre into the new Lok Sabha chamber and installed it next to the Speaker’s chair. He also showered it with flower petals.
The new Parliament can seat 888 members in the Lok Sabha chamber compared to the previous building’s capacity of 552. The new Rajya Sabha chamber can seat 384 members, which is significantly more than the previous building’s capacity of 245.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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