Swastika

Swastika (also known outside the Indian subcontinent as the Hakenkreuz, gammadion cross, cross cramponnée, croix gammée, fylfot, or tetraskelion) (as a character 卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious symbol originating from the Indian subcontinent, that generally takes the form of an equilateral cross with four legs each bent at 90 degrees. It is considered to be a sacred and auspicious symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism and dates back at least 11,000 years.

Western literature's older term for the symbol, gammadion cross, derives mainly from its appearance, which is identical to four Greek gamma letters affixed to each other. The name Swastika comes from the Sanskrit word Svastika (Devanagari: ), and denotes a "lucky or auspicious object".Svastika is a compound of Sva (), meaning the "Self"; Astika (), itself a compound of Asti (), meaning "Existent" or "Existing"; and Ka (), which denotes the neutral gender. Thus, the literal meaning of Swastika is "One that is self-existent", or "self-existing", in other words; "Unborn and directly originating from eternity since time eternal".

It has been used as a decorative element in various cultures since at least the Neolithic Age. It is known most widely as an important symbol, long used in Indian religions, denoting "auspiciousness".

The swastika was adopted by several organizations in pre-World War I-Europe and later, and most notably, by the Nazi Party and Nazi Germany prior to World War II. In many Western countries, the swastika has been highly stigmatized because of its association with Nazism.

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