Vummidi Ethiraj, one of the principal craftsmen who made the historic Sengol, died in Chennai aged 99. In 1947 he took part in crafting the gold-plated silver Sengol, which stood for the transfer of power from British rule to independent India. The Sengol was made by Vummidi Jewellers, a firm whose history spans more than 125 years. On the night of 14 August 1947, priests from Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam in Tamil Nadu handed the Sengol to Jawaharlal Nehru. On 28 May 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ceremonially placed it in the new Parliament building.