The man whose hands shaped one of independent India's most storied symbols is gone. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, paid tribute to Thiru Vummidi Ethiraj, the master goldsmith behind the historic Sengol scepter, calling his passing 'a profound loss to India's rich artistic and cultural heritage.'

The craftsman behind the Sengol's golden legacy

Vummidi Ethiraj belonged to the Vummidi family, a celebrated lineage of Tamil goldsmiths whose craft became inseparable from a watershed moment in the nation's founding story. The Sengol — a ceremonial golden scepter rooted in the Chola tradition of consecrated transfer of authority — was presented to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947 as a sovereign symbol of power passing from the British Crown to the Indian people. Ethiraj's exceptional craftsmanship was at the heart of that creation, binding his name to the birth of the republic itself.

Rajnath Singh's tribute was unambiguous in its weight: 'His exceptional craftsmanship in creating the historic Sengol has secured a special place for him in the nation's history. His legacy will be remembered with deep respect and gratitude.' The minister also extended 'heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.'

From a vault to Parliament's central hall

For decades the Sengol sat in relative obscurity, its significance dimmed by time. That changed on 28 May 2023, when the scepter was installed with full ceremony inside the new Parliament building during its inauguration, placed near the Speaker's chair as a living emblem of India's civilisational continuity. The moment reignited national interest in the artisans who had made it — and in the Vummidi family's irreplaceable contribution to that chapter of history.

The reinstallation also set off a broader official effort to centre Tamil cultural craftsmanship within the national heritage narrative, a pattern that Ethiraj's passing now punctuates with poignant finality. His death closes a direct human link to the moment India received its first symbol of self-governance.

A quiet master, an enduring imprint

Traditional goldsmiths of Ethiraj's generation worked without fanfare, their artistry embedded in religious and ceremonial commissions passed down through family ateliers. That Ethiraj's name has now been invoked by a Union Cabinet minister in a formal public tribute — and that his work stands installed inside the chamber where India's laws are made — speaks to a legacy that long outlasted its creator's public profile. The condolence from one of the country's senior-most ministers signals the government's view of his contribution: not merely artisanal, but national.