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FeedbackRe: where did the swastika come from? A Post at : http://pub6.ezboard.com/fhinduunityhinduismhottopics.showMessage?topicID=3050.topic Dear hinduwarrior,
by ParsuRam2011I am posting this article which appeared in THE TRIBUNE a year ago. It is
still available on the net and u can find the original article.
THE MYSTIQUE of SWASTIKA
By Shiv Darshanlal SharmaA SURVEY of literature reveals that the Swastika symbol is generally
referred to as the gamma-like cross by western scholars because it can be
resolved into four gammas joined at right angles. It is perhaps one of the
most ancient symbols associated with the sun. The most ancient Swastikas
have been discovered in Susa in Persia, Mohenjodaro and Harappa in
Pakistan and Sammarra in Mesopotamia. It has been seen on terracotta
articles as well as ancient vases of Greece, Cyprus, Crete and Rhodes. On
an Athenian vase it appears thrice. On a vase now at Vienna it is depicted
as an ornament on the breast of Apollo. It was a favourite symbol on the
coins of ancient Greece and India. Swastika is also found engraved on
funeral urns which have been dug up in northern Italy.It is found as a religious and ornamental symbol in ancient Egypt. The
excavations undertaken recently by the Turkish Government at
Aladja-Hoyuk uncovered the so-called standards made out of Swastika
symbols. These metallic articles were buried along with corpses during the
22nd century B.C. Probably these were kept there to ensure the safety and
wellbeing of the deceased. In Lycaonia, on a Hittite monument, it appears
as an ornament on the border of the robe of a person engaged in offering
sacrifice. In the designs on jars excavated in Cappadocia, spirals,
Swastikas and Crosses are found. All these vases belong to the Hittite age,
about 2200-1200 B.C. Swastika, called as ‘flyfot’, was a popular artistic and
sacred symbol throughout the Teutonic age in Europe. It appeared on
jewels and weapons, not only of Gallic, but also of German and
Scandanavian people. When placed beside a human head, it represented
God. In company with the thunderbolt and the wheel it is seen inscribed on
the altars of the Gallic-Roman period. It is regarded as the sacred symbol
in Roman England. It adorned the floor of the thresholds of the famous
Roman villa excavated at Lullingstone in Britain.The mystique of SwastikaBy Shiv Darshanlal SharmaA SURVEY of
literature reveals that the Swastika symbol is generally referred to as the
gamma-like cross by western scholars because it can be resolved into four
gammas joined at right angles. It is perhaps one of the most ancient
symbols associated with the sun. The most ancient Swastikas have been
discovered in Susa in Persia, Mohenjodaro and Harappa in Pakistan and
Sammarra in Mesopotamia. It has been seen on terracotta articles as well
as ancient vases of Greece, Cyprus, Crete and Rhodes. On an Athenian
vase it appears thrice. On a vase now at Vienna it is depicted as an
ornament on the breast of Apollo. It was a favourite symbol on the coins of
ancient Greece and India. Swastika is also found engraved on funeral urns
which have been dug up in northern Italy. It is found as a religious and
ornamental symbol in ancient Egypt. The excavations undertaken recently
by the Turkish Government at Aladja-Hoyuk uncovered the so-called
standards made out of Swastika symbols. These metallic articles were
buried along with corpses during the 22nd century B.C. Probably these
were kept there to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the deceased. In
Lycaonia, on a Hittite monument, it appears as an ornament on the border
of the robe of a person engaged in offering sacrifice. In the designs on jars
excavated in Cappadocia, spirals, Swastikas and Crosses are found. All
these vases belong to the Hittite age, about 2200-1200 B.C. Swastika,
called as ‘flyfot’, was a popular artistic and sacred symbol throughout the
Teutonic age in Europe. It appeared on jewels and weapons, not only of
Gallic, but also of German and Scandanavian people. When placed beside a
human head, it represented God. In company with the thunderbolt and the
wheel it is seen inscribed on the altars of the Gallic-Roman period. It is
regarded as the sacred symbol in Roman England. It adorned the floor of
the thresholds of the famous Roman villa excavated at Lullingstone in
Britain.Swastika is marked on a number of early Christian tombs. It was an
archaic custom to mark the tombs with this symbol or to place vases with
Swastika symbols in tombs. It was performed to ensure the safety of the
departed soul or to fend off demonic spirits. Subsequently, the Swastika
was replaced by the Cross. Swastika has been discovered at several
locations in the New World. It was considered as an auspicious sign by
some of the original inhabitants of America. Swastika is found in
monumental remains of the primitive Mexicans and Peruvians and on
objects exhumed from prehistoric burial mounds within the limits of the
USA.It was revived by Hitler when he made it the national emblem of Nazi
Germany. He believed that this ancient Aryan sign brought prosperity and
victory. It has been the sacred symbol of the Buddhists and the Jains. It
bears the name of Swastika when the limbs are bent towards the right, and
Suavastika when they are turned to the left. It is believed that the first
represents Lord Ganesha, while the second represents goddess Kali.
According to the other school of thought, the first stands for the sun, for
light and life; the second stands for night and destruction. Indians inscribe it
on the opening page of their account books. In ceremonies associated with
marriages, mundan, the worship of luxmi etc the Swastika is worshipped as
the symbol of Ganesha. It is marked along with the sign of
Navagrahas.Swastika is one of the eight types of yogic seats mentioned in
the Vayaviya-samhita of the Shiv Purana. The discovery of Swastika in
almost all parts of the globe has given rise to so many
interpretations.Certain authorities believe that Ganesha on his Vahana, the
rat, symbolised a sun-god, overcoming the animals. Which, in archaic
mythology was a sign of night. The cult of sun worship is probably the most
primitive one. The sun brings joy, light and life for mankind. People
belonging to the Indus Valley civilisation believed in sun worshipping, which
is evident from the discovery of a number of signs and symbols associated
with the sun. These signs are found on several so-called punch marked
coins that have been excavated from many places in India. These are
called Vishnu Chakras. Vishnu’s incarnations are said to have killed their
enemies by using these chakras. Krishna’s Sudarshan Chakra can be
referred to in this connection. Like Indra, Vishnu is said to have subdued
serpents. Krishna defeated Kalinaga while Vishnu is depicted as reclining on
Sesnaga, who has one thousand hoods.According to Vayu Purana, "the lord
of serpents, who lives on the Devakuta mountain, has one hundred hoods
and is marked with the Chakras (Swastika) of Vishnu." According to the
same source, Brahma was practicing severe penance, as a result of which
sweat came from his body which gave rise to the serpent world, which had
marks of Swastika on them. It is interesting to note that on prehistoric
bowls found at Sammarra, serpents are shown as moving around the sun.
Being a symbol of the sun, the chakra represents life and movement, which
transform the dwarf into the giant or the microcosm into macrocosm or
again the centre into its diameter.Aladja-Hoyuk, which is identified with the
Hittite city Ariana, was the seat of the cult of sun god. The Buddhists
inherited reverence of Swastika from the belief that Lord Buddha is the
incarnation of Vishnu, and carried it to Tibet, China, Japan and Korea.
Swastika is found on the images of the lord. It is seen on the footprint of
Lord Buddha. In China, swastika found a place among written characters,
where it contains the notion of abundance, prosperity and long life. In
Japan, it represents the number 10,000. The Chinese empress Wu
(684-704 A.D.) decreed that it should be used as sign for the sun. The seal
of the Harappan period shows a man carrying a manger with propitiatory
offering for a tiger standing in front of him. On the reverse the same
inscription is repeated, besides a row of five Swastikas as auspicious
symbols signifying security and good luck.According to K.N. Shastri, the
sealing was obviously an amulet against possible dangers arising from the
depredations of tigers. Ideas and beliefs migrate with traders, soldiers and
migrants. The ancient western Asia had trade relations with the people of
the Indus. Valley. It is evident from the discovery of Indus Valley seals in
Mesopotamia at the level dating between 2300 and 2000 B.C. Some
particular seals found in Crete proved to be of exactly of the same material
as those found in the Indus Valley. The figures of animals and birds with
fish in their beaks appearing on vases found from the tombs in Sammarra
(dating 4000 B.C.) are significantly similar to that painted on potteries
found from tombs in Harappa.The pipal tree (Ficus religiosa) was regarded
as sacred both in Harappa and Elam (It may be due to the fact that this is
the only plant in the plant kingdom which releases more amount of oxygen
day and night, than any other plant). These instances prove that Palestine,
Elam and Harappa had close trade and cultural relations. The appearance
of the Swastika on vases belonging to this period proves that the symbol of
Swastika was travelling from one place to other along with the normal
merchandise.The Swastika was a very popular symbol in ancient Turkey,
where it was frequently applied by the smiths of Anatolia. It is interesting to
note that two kinds of Swastikas, one revolving to the right and other to the
left have been excavated from a tomb in Aladja-Hoyuk. These could be
interpreted as the rising and setting the sun. The Swastika is found on the
megalithic pottery from Kunnatur, Coorg and Coimbatore. It has also been
traced on a red ware belonging to the Chalcolithic phase on the site of
Rangpur. These instances prove that the sacredness of the Swastika was
the most primitive belief in India. It seems that the people of the Indus
Valley, who inherited this symbol, believed in sun worship and spread this
cult to Elam. Mesopotamia and Asia Minor or the people of these countries
got it from Indians migrants even before the prosperous settlements of the
Indus Valley came into being. A scene of Swastika worship is found in the
rock paintings of Paria Bari. It is mentioned in the Puranas that the masses
worshipped the solar deity in its symbolic forms of disc, wheel, lotus and
Swastika.The discovery of the Swastika in the New World should not be
explained away by the so-called theory of independent origin. It may have
been carried to the New World by Asian Traders in the most archaic times.
Some historians claim that long before the voyage undertaken by
Columbus, America was discovered by the Phoenicians, and the Chinese.
The discovery of images, said to be of the Lord Buddha, in America is really
a significant event
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