The Religious Side of the Swastika

So, awhile back I blogged about the Baha'i temple in Chicago, and I promised some more information in regards to a picture I took while I was there. That included what looked like a swastika on the side of the temple. Which, if that was true, would be about as opposite to the religious beliefs of the Baha'i as possible. While watching part two of the video presentation that introduces the temple, they explain that there are other religious symbols included in the side of the temple to symbolize their acceptance of everyone. In the picture to the left you can see the Cross that represents Christianity, the Star of David that represents Judaism, and what is called the Hooked Cross, which has been used, according to the video, to represent Hinduism, Buddhism, and some Native America religions. However, the same symbol was used by Nazi Germany. In their case, the hooked cross represented the "Aryan race," while when it is used as a religious symbol, it means good fortune. The way the hooks of the arms face matters, but it is a religious symbol either way. According to a website about the Hindu swastika, "The auspicious symbol of the swastika is very commonly used in Hindu art, architecture and decoration. It can be seen on temples, houses, doorways, clothing, cars, and even cakes. It is usually a major part of the decoration for festivals and special ceremonies like weddings."

"The right-hand swastika is one of the 108 symbols of the god Vishnu as well as a symbol of the sun and of the sun god Surya. The symbol imitates in the rotation of its arms the course taken daily by the sun, which appears in the Northern Hemisphere to pass from east, then south, to west. (It is also a symbol of the sun among Native Americans.)"

"The left-hand swastika (called a sauvastika) usually represents the terrifying goddess Kali, night and magic. However, this form of the swastika is not "evil" and it is the form most commonly used in Buddhism."

Link to the website about the Hindu Swastika