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Swastika-shaped ornaments dates from the
Neolithic period. An ancient symbol, it occurs mainly in the cultures that
are in modern day India and the surrounding area, sometimes as a geometrical
motif and sometimes as a religious symbol. It has long been widely used in
major world religions such as Hinduism, Roman Catholicism, Buddhism and
Jainism.
The swastika was appropriated
as a Nazi symbol and gained further association with the Third Reich as the
Reich gained influence. Though once commonly used over much of the world
without stigma, over time the symbol has become a controversial motif,
especially in the Western world.
Click here to see all Lotus Sculpture's
statues with Swastikas
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History
The
swastika has an extensive history. The motif seems to have first been used
in Neolithic India. The symbol has an ancient history in Europe, appearing
on artifacts from pre-Christian European cultures. In antiquity, the
swastika was used extensively by the Indo-Aryans,Persians, Hittites, Celts
and Greeks, among others. In particular, the swastika is a sacred symbol in
Mithraism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism — religions with over a billion
adherents worldwide, making the swastika ubiquitous in both historical and
contemporary society. The symbol was introduced to Southeast Asia by Hindu
kings and remains an integral part of Balinese Hinduism to this day, and it
is a common sight in Indonesia. It also was adopted independently by several
Native American cultures.
In the
Western world, the symbol experienced a resurgence following the
archaeological work in the late 19th century of Heinrich Schliemann, who
discovered the symbol in the site of ancient Troy and associated it with the
ancient migrations of Proto-Indo-Europeans. He connected it with similar
shapes found on ancient pots in Germany, and theorized that the swastika was
a "significant religious symbol of our remote ancestors", linking Germanic,
Greek and Indo-Iranian cultures. By the early 20th century, it was widely
used worldwide and was regarded as a symbol of good luck and success.
The work
of Schliemann soon became intertwined with the völkisch movements,
for which the swastika was a symbol of "Aryan" identity, a concept that came
to be equated by theorists such as Alfred Rosenberg with a Nordic master
race originating in northern Europe. Since its adoption by the Nazi Party of
Adolf Hitler, the swastika has been associated with fascism, racism (white
supremacy), World War II, and the Holocaust in much of the West. The
swastika remains a core symbol of Neo-Nazi groups, and is used regularly by
activist groups to signify the supposed Nazi-like behavior of organizations
and individuals they oppose.
Religion and mythology
Hinduism
In Hinduism, the two symbols
represent the two forms of the creator god Brahma: facing right it
represents the evolution of the universe (Pravritti), facing left it
represents the involution of the universe (Nivritti). It is also seen
as pointing in all four directions (north, east, south and west) and thus
signifies stability and groundedness. Its use as a sun symbol can first be
seen in its representation of the god Surya. The swastika is considered
extremely holy and auspicious by all Hindus, and is regularly used to
decorate items related to Hindu culture. It is used in all Hindu yantras and
religious designs. Throughout the subcontinent of India, it can be seen on
the sides of temples, religious scriptures, gift items, and letterheads. The
Hindu god Ganesh is often shown sitting on a lotus flower on a bed of
swastikas.
Click here to see all Lotus Sculpture's statues with
Swastikas
The swastika is found all over
Hindu temples, signs, altars, pictures and iconography where it is sacred.
It is used in Hindu weddings, festivals, ceremonies, houses and doorways,
clothing and jewelry, motor transport and even decorations on food items
such as cakes and pastries. Among the Hindus of Bengal, it is common to see
the name "swastika" applied to a slightly different symbol, which has the
same significance as the common swastika, and both symbols are used as
auspicious signs. This symbol looks something like a stick figure of a human
being. "Swastika" is a common given name amongst Bengalis
and a prominent literary magazine in Kolkata (Calcutta) is
called the Swastika.
The Aum symbol is also sacred
in Hinduism. While Aum is representative of a single primordial tone of
creation, the Swastika is a pure geometrical mark and has no syllabic tone
associated with it. The Swastika is one of the 108 symbols of Lord Vishnu
and represents the sun's rays, without which there would be no life.
Buddhism
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The symbol as it is used in
Buddhist art and scripture is known in Japanese as a manji, and
represents Dharma, universal harmony, and the balance of opposites. When
facing left, it is the omote (front) manji, representing love
and mercy. Facing right, it represents strength and intelligence, and is
called the ura (rear) manji. Balanced manji are often
found at the beginning and end of Buddhist scriptures (outside India).
Buddhism
originated in the Indian subcontinent in the 5th century BC and inherited
the manji. These two symbols are included, at least since the Liao Dynasty,
as part of the Chinese language, the symbolic sign for the character
萬 or
万 (wàn
in Chinese, man in Korean/Japanese, vạn in Vietnamese) meaning
"all" or "eternality" (lit. myriad) and as
卐, which is
seldom used. A manji marks the beginning of many Buddhist scriptures. The
manji (in either orientation) appears on the chest of some statues of
Gautama Buddha and is often incised on the soles of the feet of the Buddha
in statuary. Because of the association of the right-facing swastika with
Nazism, Buddhist manji (outside India only) after the mid-20th
century are almost universally left-facing:
卍. This form
of the manji is often found on Chinese food packaging to signify that the
product is vegetarian and can be consumed by strict Buddhists. It is often
sewn into the collars of Chinese children's clothing to protect them from
evil spirits.
Click here to see all Lotus Sculpture's statues with
Swastikas
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Jainism
Jainism gives even more
prominence to the swastika than does Hinduism. It is a symbol of the seventh
Jina (Saint), the Tirthankara Suparsva. In the Svetambar Jain
tradition, it is also one of the symbols of the ashta-mangalas. It is
considered to be one of the 24 auspicious marks and the emblem of the
seventh arhat of the present age. All Jain temples and holy books must
contain the swastika and ceremonies typically begin and end with creating a
swastika mark several times with rice around the altar.
Jains use
rice to make a swastika (also known as "Sathiyo" in the state of Gujarat,
India) in front of idols in a temple. Jains then put an offering on this
swastika, usually a ripe or dried fruit, a sweet (mithai), or a coin or
currency note. In 2001, India issued a 100-rupee coin to commemorate the
2600th anniversary of the birth of Mahavir, the 24th
and last Jainist Tirthankara; the design includes a swastika.
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