Swastikas .... the loaded symbol

In one of my earlier posts I had mentioned about swastikas being a common design pattern in Indian mehandi. So, today when my friend Jen asked me if I knew what a loaded word "Swastikas" was here, I realized I had to write a post to explain the significance of swastikas in the Indian culture.



The Swastika is a holy symbol in the Hindu and Jain religions. Seen at most Indian temples as well as entrances of houses (yes its true, you'll find swastikas made of vermillion paste on the door frames), at weddings, festivals and celebrations, the swastika is used in religious and civil ceremonies in India. The word swastika is derived from the Sanskrit word svastika meaning any lucky or auspicious object, and in particular a mark made on things to denote good luck.

I am aware that in the west, swastika has been associated with Nazism, which I believe led to Jen's question. This has led to confusions to the use of the symbol in the pre-Nazi era as well its religious and sacred significance in other cultures. I hope that this post will help you understand the alternative meanings associated with the symbol in other cultures. There has and will always be more good than bad associated with this word in most cultures :).

For more information on this, check out Swastikas on Wikipedia

** Note that the information and photographs used above were obtained from Wikipedia and variety of sources.

Fun with Mehandi

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In the last few decades, Mehandi has evolved into a must-have product. Whether you use it to

• Condition, enrich and naturally color hair


• Decorate a bride's hands and feet with intricate patterns


• As an alternative to temporary tattoos


• Or a means to beautiful body art

it is fun to use and you can get as creative with it as you like.

Once done as block-prints using heavy wooden stencils, match sticks and tooth picks to being drawn using a cone, the art of mehandi designing has come a long way. This had also resulted in the once popular big and small dots and swastikas giving way to delicate patterns and attractive designs.

Today, there are different patterns that come under four main categories which can be mixed and matched. Arabic, Marwadi, Indian and outlines are the major and well-known categories. While Arabic designs comprises of huge flowers and leaves, Marwadi designs are thin patterns where the entire hand is filled without a single gap. The basic Indian designs comprise kalash (a vase, normally depicted as being covered with mango leaves), doli (a palanquin), peacocks, kanguras (mango seeds) etc.

Mehandi tattoos, color mehandi, glitter mehandi, zardosi mehandi, mehandi adorned with Swarovski crystals are other ways of using mehandi application to adorn your body. Faces, names, sun, scorpions, dragons, abstracts and floral designs are currently the "in" patterns for tattoos. Tattoos on neck, forearms, upper arms, waist, navel, sides of the shoulders and back are very common these days. (And for all my 'XY' gene pool friends who are reading this blog, do not despair, because even though its not completely cool for you to get intricate designs on your palm, getting and flaunting a henna tattoo is "Coolness Factor Unlimited" :) ).