Was hinduism ancestral religion of Europe
Hinduism- the most ancient religion but with highly advanced spiritual Concepts of Reincarnation, Yoga, Karma, Eternal Soul, Moksha(Salvation), and the third eye may be the ancestral religion of whole Europe, which got lost after the conquest of Christianity and Islam. I am not trying to be racist or giving an unbiased unsupported opinion, rather my opinion is supported by facts and built upon evidences and academia.
Traditions and customs of Hinduism were practiced by ancient Europeans thousands of years ago, long before the advent of Jews and Christianity. After the conquest of Christianity, the white race was deliberately cut from their indigenous religion thus plunging in the dark ages discarding their spiritual faith in the wild pursuit of money, materialistic pleasures and possessions. Their most sacred symbol-Swastika was suppressed and replaced under the imposition of their new faith having its own sacred symbol (Holy Cross) and Star of David.
There are made evidences supporting this opinion. However, in this article, we will validate this topic solely on the evidences of Swastika found across various cultures and unearthed from various European countries.
Short introduction to Swastika
In Sanskrit, Swastika means “May Goodness Prevail", and was considered widely as a symbol of good fortune and prosperity but unfortunately, due to Hitler misuse of swastika followed by some other misconceptions, Swastika has lost its semantic association and is now commonly known as a sign of destruction than its actual notion of affirmation. Indian symbol of swastika symbolize Wheel of Life in a clockwise direction.
Swastikas are generally found in every Indian temple.
Hitler, who believed himself as a descendants of Vedic Aryans reversed this ancient symbol counterclockwise, which according to Hinduism belief, is a symbol a "black magic” or demoniac power and amounts to dissolution and destruction of the universe. That’s exactly what happened during the regime of Hitler.
Swastika-Europeans most prolific symbol
Most Europeans are not aware that Once long before rise of Christianity, swastika was their most prolific and sacred religious symbol. In fact, Swastika is an ancient solar symbol used by ancient cultures with some dating back to 10,000 BCE.
Pots with swastika found in ancient Greece (700 BC)
Swastika is depicted as an equilateral cross consisting of arms twisted at right angles in the clockwise direction.
Origin of Swastika into Europe and America
Based on the evidences and archaeological research, scholars and historians have came to the conclusion that India was home to two races-Aryans and Dravidians. Aryans spiritually were more advanced and civilized than Dravidians and consider Dravidians as inferior to them. This is well-supported by the much advanced civilization found in the Indus valley. Even in the ancient scriptures like Ramayana, there are stories which depict uncivilized demons staying in the southern belt of India whereas civilized kings ruled India with their capital located in northern India, ruled more or less whole of India.
From India, these civilized Aryans migrated for trade and alliances into western Europe, Arabs, Africa, etc thereby bringing their cultural values and ideas into Great Britain, Italy, France, Egypt, Germany, Spain, Poland, and so on. These cultural customs and values were later carried on to America where every Caucasian tribe of America traces their family roots in Europe and is considered to be a direct descendant of such migrated Aryans.
A publication of 1982 from the well acclaimed Time Life Books library says:
“These Indians who said themselves as Aryans bestowed their social institutions on the Indian subcontinent and spawn a unique advanced spiritual culture called as Hinduism.”
In spite of many archeological evidences, many Europeans historians denies Aryans migrating from India to Europe and claims otherwise as Aryans migrating to India from Europe by claiming their baseless Aryan invasion theory as true. Aryan invasion theory has been proven false but in this case even if we accept it as true; it still proves that Europeans, at some point of time, practiced Hinduism(Religion of Aryans) as a whole or forms of Hinduism( like Buddhism, Sikhism or Jainism) .
Swastika found across the globe
Shortly after making the discovery of mystical troy in 1870, German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann found many artifacts embedded with symbol of swastika. Later in the 20th century, artifacts with symbols of swastika were found all across Asia, America and Europe in forms of friezes, mosaics, figurines, paintings, sculptures, and idols. Many of these artifacts belongs to other ancient civilization likes the Romans, Egyptians, Mesopotamia, Scandinavians, Persians, Mayans, Greek and the Aztecs.
Terracotta jug with swastika
Swastikas on ancient ruins across Europe
All ancient Europeans civilizations like the Romans, Celts, Greeks etc practiced the spiritual traditions of Hinduism. This is very evident from the study of Yale University, where their research showed symbol of swastika across ancient European ruins.
Oldest of all evidences is the artifacts unearthed from keiv(Ukraine), dating back to ice age(10,000 BC), which shows a bird figure with swastika inscriptions carved from mammoth ivory.
Bird figurines from mezin, Ukraine.
This bird figurine is a symbol of mother or earth worship. Vedic Aryans had the culture of praising hymns and singing glories of mother earth, the tradition still exists in modern India.
Modern research push backs Aryan civilization to 6,000- 10,000 BC. Since there are no signs of civilization other than this artifact in Ukraine, it is highly unlikely that this artifact was of indigenous Aryans and hence most probably came through trade and cultural exchange with Indus valley Vedic Aryans.
Swastikas found in Persia
Next oldest swastika was found Samarra region of ancient Persia (Present Iraq) around 5 or 6,000 BC. It is a well known fact that Persians traded heavily with India and there are significant evidences of cultural exchanges between India and Persia including this one.
Swastika in artifacts unearthed from samsara
Swastika can be found in Friday mosque of Iran, which has lots of well-designed mosaic with embedded beautiful and colorful swastika at various places.
Swastika in Friday mosque, Iran
Below are some more Europeans countries where swastikas were unearthed. Neither there is any description in their religious scriptures nor is there any mention of swastikas in any form among all the ancient civilizations like Mesopotamia, Egyptians, Persians, and Sumerians etc. This is the proof that this symbol didn’t originate in any of these civilizations and was brought in through trade and cultural exchange with India.
Swastikas in Vinca script
Swastika in the vinca script of neolitihic Europe (6000 -5000 BC).
Pots like the one shown above is very common in india and many such pots were unearthed from the cities of Dwarka, Harappa, mohen-jo-daro and other ancient sites.
Golden artifacts bearing swastika just after the Vinca-Old European script
Swastika in Judaism
In Hinduism, more often Swastika is considered as a Yantra(Device), similar to Star of David in Judaism. In the synagogue at Capernaum, Holiest Symbol of Judaism ‘Star of David’ is found along side of Swastika. This signifies that swastika is an ancient religious symbol of Jews and Star of David, due to its philosophical meaning, may be a derived form of swastika.
Synagogue at Capernaum
In 1916, decades before the holocaust, a Jewish firm involved in making Matzos ran an advertisement having swastikas with subject line “The Trademark Stands for Supreme Quality”. This shows that even Jews considered Swastika as a symbol of spirituality, decoration, prosperity, fortune and love.
Swastika in Jewish Synagogue "Ein-Gedi"
Swastika in another Jewish Synagogue " Maoz-Haim "
Swastika in Rome and Christianity
Even Romans used swastika as their religious symbol. Actually, Roman culture is derived from Etruscan symbol which is nothing but swastika. Romans considered swastika as emblem of their major god Jupiter and freely used it in decorating the walls and mosaic floors of temples, Pompeii, altars, decorative pottery etc.
Swastika on Ancient Roman Mosaic.
Tiles with such painting have a huge significance in Hinduism. Such mosaic can be found in almost all Indian temples
Swastika on Roman Geometric mosaic
They even introduced this symbol in their captured territories in Europe, Africa and British isle. One of such territory Northumberland, England has two Swastikas in scripted on both side of a crescent moon.
It is said that during the inception of Christianity, Swastika was the form of cross used in catacombs and churches and appeared in early Christian and Byzantine art.
Byzantine art
In Rome, it was called as Crux Dissimulata because when the early Christians concealed themselves, the Church did not adopt the crucifix until the sixth century when Christianity had become the official religion of Rome.
Swastikas in Bulgaria
Recently, archeologist’s unearthed swastika from the bottom of some earthen drinking vessel during excavations of a religious site in Vratsa, Bulgaria. This is supposed to be 3000 years old
Such earthen vessels as the one shown in extreme left above is still used for drinking tea in Indian railway stations. Somewhat similar to the vessel shown above, earthen lamps are made to light fire during the occasion of diwali-Festival of lights.
Swastikas found in Greece
Greeks treated swastika as sacred and associated it with Apollo, their Sun God (Indian equivalent of deity ‘Surya’). Greeks called Swastika a Gammadion and used extensively on terracotta tiles, figures, shields and coins. In a historical museum at Vienna, statue of Apollo (sun god) on a chariot has a large Swastika on his chest.
Greek phrgian helmet (350-325 BC) with swastika
Swastika on Greek gold disk
Swastika on a pot
Swastika on Melathron mosaic
Swastika in Iceland
The Icelandic (Norse) version of swastika is the celestial weapon of their god Thor. Thor meaning "thunder", Son of Odin, was Norse god of thunder, strength and war. His celestial weapon was like a hammer called Mjolnir, and wore an attractive belt to increase his strength. Odin (Thor father) is depicted as an old man with grayish white hair (symbolizing clouds) wearing a blue cloak (Symbolizing sky). His eye is said to represent the sun. So, swastika represents the thor hammer revolving around the sun (father).
Thor’s hammer
Swastika in England
Many artifacts and figurines with Swastika inscriptions were found in early Anglo-Saxon (5th to 6th century) Civilization. All these items can be seen at Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology <
Swastika on Funeral Urn, 500 BC, England
Many of such funeral urns belonging to the pagan period of Anglo-Saxon were found at the cremation ground of East Anglia. Many of these items are in their original shape and comply with the Hinduism custom of using such pots/urns in funeral ceremony
Another funeral urn with swastika motifs unearthed from Norfolk (600BC-500BC)
Swastika in France
Mosaic with Interlocking swastikas is one of the several designs on the floor of the cathedral of Amiens, France. There seems to be link between this and a swastika mosaic design in the Cathedral of Lady of Amiens <>, built in the 13th century on top of a pagan site at Amiens <>.
Swastika mosaic of France.
Swastika in Spain
Mosaic floor with swastika signs is found in La Olmeda, Spain. It seems this mosaic was imported from Rome and is not indigenous to Spain.
Floor with swastikas inscriptions in La Olmeda, Spain.
Swastika in Yugoslavia
This bronze plate shows a Celt warrior riding on a horse with a sword on his hand. Read more in book ‘Early Roman Armies’ by Nicholas Sekunda and Richard Hook
Bronze plate (400 BC) from Vace, Yugoslavia
Conclusion
Jews predates Christianity and Islam and Jews came into existence some 3000 years ago. Abundance of swastika embedded artifacts and figurines poses the serious questions if Hinduism or a derivative form of Hinduism (Like Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism) was the religion of Europe.
Whatever the case is, Swastika is a beautiful symbol with aesthetic tropes and several meaning which makes us attracts to its symbolism, talking to the mind at various levels. First, it symbolizes the nature of opposite’s i.e. everything in nature is in dual combination. Ex: Strength and Weakness, Love and Hate, Male and Female, War and Peace, Darkness and light etc. lines of Swastikas crossing over each other signifies the merging of dual combination for the creation and maintenance of Life. For ex: male and female should unite to create a new living being. As I said in my previous post (Click here), it also means the cyclical nature of universe i.e. creation followed by destruction, Birth followed by death or death followed by birth (Reincarnation)
Just because Hitler used swastika as his party flag, one should not symbolize swastika with hate and terror; instead one should realize its deep spiritual significance & meaning and must strive to restore back its lost glory and place in World ancestral religions.
In next articles, we will see use of swastikas in America and Africa ancient religions like Aztecs, Mayans, and Egyptians etc
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