Swastika – The Bent Cross

The swastika is India’s version of one of humanity’s most enduring, ancient symbols. The oldest known use of this symbol dates back to the end of the last Ice Age. A figurine carved with a recognizable armed plus sign dating to 10,000-13,000 BCE was found in Ukraine. How the ancient people interpreted the symbol is unknown. In the Balkans, the symbol has been used for at least 8,000 years. The Indus-Saraswati civilization used the swastika extensively, with archeological evidence dating back to 4,000 BCE showing its usage.

The Swastika, in the form of a bent cross, is an ancient symbol with deep significance in Hinduism. In Sanskrit, the word swastika is a combination of Su (good) and Asti (to exist). Thus, in Sanskrit, the Swastika means and symbolises ‘conducive to well-being.’ Drawing out this sacred symbol at the entrance of one’s home during festivals like Diwali or housewarming ceremonies is believed to invite positive energy and blessings.

It also represents various things that come in fours, such as the four Veda, the four Yuga (Ages), the four stages of life, and the four aims of life. The four aims of life in Hinduism are called Purushartha. These include Dharma or a person’s duty and actions, and the path of truth that one lives by; Artha or the pursuit of wealth and prosperity through righteous means; Kama or the pursuit of pleasure, love, and desire which can be practiced by involving oneself in pleasurable activities that are in line with one’s life’s purpose; and Moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and reincarnation, implying a union of the individual self with the Universal Self.

Interestingly there are two types of Swastika symbols. The right-facing swastika (卐) is considered a solar symbol, representing the sun, prosperity, and good fortune. The rotation of its arms is also said to imitate the sun’s daily course. The left-facing swastika (卍) is called the sauvastika, and is said to represent night, the goddess Kali, and Tantrik or occult practices.

For Buddhists, the swastika signifies the Buddha’s footprints and heart. For Jains, the swastika is the symbol of the seventh tirthankara (one of the liberated souls showing the way for others in Jainism) with the arms symbolizing one of the four places a soul can be reborn in the cycle of birth and death. Hence, the bent-cross (swastika) also symbolises the cycle of life and death and interplay of the spiritual with the material.

The Persian-Aryan Cross

While the precise origins of the Chalipa remain unclear, evidence of its use can be found in ancient Persian artefacts, architectural designs, and even prehistoric pottery, indicating its long-standing presence in the region. Over time, as Persian art evolved through various dynasties and cultural influences, the Chalipa took on new aesthetic and symbolic roles.

In its simplest form, the Chalipa symbolized unity and harmony, with its balanced arms signifying equality between opposing forces of light and darkness, good and evil, the physical and the metaphysical (spiritual). This philosophical interpretation made the Chalipa a powerful symbol of duality and balance in ancient Persian culture.

The Zoroastrian philosophy of on cosmic dualism—light and darkness, good and evil was symbolically reflected in the Chalipa’s structure. This dualistic worldview permeated ancient Persian society, from its religious practices to its artistic expressions, making the Chalipa a common decorative motif.

Chalipa’s Spiritual Significance

The Chalipa’s cross-like design also suggested the intersection of different dimensions, making it a metaphor for crossing thresholds – between life and death, the known and unknown, and the physical and spiritual worlds. This gave the symbol a sense of sacredness, particularly in ancient rituals and architectural spaces that sought to connect the mundane with the divine.

Clearly, the Chalipa symbol traces its roots to ancient Persian civilization, long before the advent of Christianity or Islam. It was a symbol of profound significance in ancient Persia, where it was used both decoratively and spiritually. In ancient Persia, the cross was not associated with religious doctrine rather had cosmic and philosophical connotations. It represented the intersection of the earthly and the divine, the unity of opposites, and the natural order of the universe. The Chalipa’s shape in the form of a simple cross made by two intersecting lines could be interpreted as a meeting point between heaven and earth, with the vertical line symbolizing the divine realm and the horizontal line representing the material world. Perhaps, one reason why the external façade of the Achaemenian tombs is in the form of a cross is to signify that while the mortal remains are laid at rest horizontally in this material world, the spirit of the Great Kings has ascended vertically to the divine realms.

The Chalipa has been found across various forms of Persian art and culture, including textiles, jewellery, manuscripts, and architecture. While crosses are often associated with religious symbolism in the West, the Persian Chalipa predates these associations, representing diverse meanings connected to cosmic balance, the four elements, and the ancient Persian understanding of the universe. Perhaps another reason why the external façade of the Achaemenian tombs is in the form of a cross is to signify that while the mortal remains of the Great Kings have been returned to the four elements of nature, the spirit has attained eternal life in the cosmos or the universe.

The Ancient Iranian Flag

The Chalipa could also be seen as a representation of the four cardinal points of the universe: north, south, east, and west, which were believed to be under the divine protection of Ahura Mazda. Even the famous Zoroastrian Standard or National Flag known as Derafs-e-Kavian (which derived its name from that flag that the Iranian blacksmith-turned-hero named Kaveh made from his leather apron and led a popular uprising against Zahhak in prehistoric times) was an inclined cross in the form of X or star (Achtar).

The term Achtar signified both ‘star’ and ‘fortune.’ In design, the Derafs-e-Kavian consisted of the Achtar on a purple field which was encrusted with jewels and had trailing red, gold, and purple streamers on its edges. The term Achtar was significant since the star represented ‘fortune’, and the capture and destruction of the flag on a field of battle implied the loss of the battle and hence the loss of fortune.

The Sasanian kings carried this Standard in various battles that they fought right up to the sixth century AD. It was said that the strength of the Iranian army was in the Achtar (an aḵtar ast, ke niru-ye Irān bad-u andar ast). Following the defeat of the Sasanian army at the Battle of Al-Qadisiyyah, the Sasanian standard was seized by Zerar bin Kattab who received 30,000 dinars for it. After the jewels were removed, Caliph Umar is said to have burned the standard signalling the collapse of the Persian Sasanian empire.