'Sengol', installed in the new Parliament building of India, was seen as a symbol of the path of service, duty and nation in which Empire of the past?
- A.Gupta Empire
- B.Shunga Empire
- C.Pandyan Empire
- D.Chola Empire
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is Chola Empire. The Sengol is a gold-plated silver sceptre topped by a figure of Nandi. In the Chola tradition, a new king received such a sceptre from a high priest as a symbol of the transfer of power and of the ruler's duty to govern justly. On 14 August 1947 priests from the Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam in Tamil Nadu presented a Sengol to Jawaharlal Nehru, and it was later kept in a museum in Allahabad. On 28 May 2023, when the new Parliament building was inaugurated, it was installed beside the Speaker's chair in the Lok Sabha.
The Pandyan option is the cleverest distractor, because the Pandyas were also a great Tamil dynasty, but the Sengol tradition invoked in 2023 was that of the Cholas. The Gupta and Shunga empires ruled in north India and have no link to it. Questions on the new Parliament building also ask its date of inauguration (28 May 2023) and the first bill passed in it, the Women's Reservation Bill of 2023.
Read the full article: Parliament of India: Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Bills and PYQs
Practice Questions
View allWhich Article of the Constitution mentions that “the Parliament consists of the President and two Houses known as the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and the House of the People (Lok Sabha)”?
- A.79
- B.70
- C.82
- D.73
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Article 79 says: "There shall be a Parliament for the Union which shall consist of the President and two Houses to be known respectively as the Council of States and the House of the People." The President is therefore part of Parliament even though he or she sits in neither…
Read the full explanation →The Council of States shall consist of ______ members to be nominated by the President.
- A.six
- B.ten
- C.twelve
- D.five
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Under Article 80, the Rajya Sabha consists of 12 members nominated by the President and not more than 238 representatives of the States and Union Territories, a maximum of 250.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha?
- A.Rajendra Prasad
- B.Purushottam Tandon
- C.Hukum Singh
- D.G V Mavalankar
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Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar was elected the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha in 1952 and served until his death in 1956.
Read the full explanation →Who among the following appoints the Speaker 'Pro tem' of the Lok Sabha?
- A.President
- B.Prime Minister
- C.Chief Justice of Supreme Court
- D.Chief Election Commissioner
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After a general election, the Speaker of the outgoing Lok Sabha vacates office just before the new House first meets.
Read the full explanation →The time gap between two sessions of the Parliament should NOT exceed:
- A.3 months
- B.1 year
- C.6 months
- D.9 months
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Article 85(1) says the President shall summon each House to meet at such time and place as he or she thinks fit, but six months shall not intervene between its last sitting in one session and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next session.
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