Editing Swastika (section)

====Hinduism====
{{multiple image|perrow=4|total_width=300|caption_align=center
| title = Hindu swastikas
| image1 = HinduSwastika.svg|caption1=Hindu swastika
| image2 = Sauwastika.svg|caption2=Sauwastika
| image3 = Bengali Swastika Symbol half.svg|caption3=Bengali swastika
}}

The swastika is an important Hindu symbol.<ref name="britswast" /><ref name="p.97" /> The swastika symbol is commonly used before entrances or on doorways of homes or temples, to mark the starting page of financial statements{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}, and [[mandala]]s constructed for rituals such as weddings or welcoming a newborn.<ref name="britswast" /><ref name="Lander2013p27" />

The swastika has a particular association with [[Diwali]], being drawn in ''[[rangoli]]'' (coloured sand) or formed with [[deepak]] lights on the floor outside Hindu houses and on wall hangings and other decorations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://indiatribune.com/significance-of-swastika-in-diwali-celebrations/ |title=Significance of Swastika in Diwali celebrations |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=27 October 2010 |website=indiatribune.com |access-date=11 November 2018 }}</ref>

In the diverse traditions within Hinduism, both the clockwise and counterclockwise swastika are found, with different meanings. The clockwise or right hand icon is called ''swastika'', while the counterclockwise or left hand icon is called ''sauwastika'' or ''sauvastika''.<ref name="britswast" /> The clockwise swastika is a solar symbol ([[Surya]]), suggesting the motion of the Sun in India (the northern hemisphere), where it appears to enter from the east, then ascend to the south at midday, exiting to the west.<ref name="britswast" /> The counterclockwise ''sauwastika'' is less used; it connotes the night, and in tantric traditions it is an icon for the goddess [[Kali]], the terrifying form of [[Devi]] [[Durga]].<ref name="britswast" /> The symbol also represents activity, karma, motion, wheel, and in some contexts the lotus.<ref name="Sullivan2001p216" /><ref name="snodgrass82" /> According to Norman McClelland its symbolism for motion and the Sun may be from shared prehistoric cultural roots.<ref>{{cite book|author= Norman C. McClelland |title= Encyclopedia of Reincarnation and Karma|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=S_Leq4U5ihkC&pg=PA263 |date=2010 |publisher= McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-5675-8|pages=263–264}}</ref>
{{clear}}
<gallery class="center" caption="A swastika is typical in Hindu temples" mode="packed">
Jaipur 03-2016 38 Garh Ganesh Temple.jpg|A Hindu temple in [[Rajasthan]], India
हनुमान जयन्ति.png|A swastika inside a temple
A Hindu Swastika at Goa Lawah Temple Bali Indonesia.jpg|The [[Balinese Hinduism|Balinese Hindu]] [[pura Goa Lawah]] entrance
Bali 014 - Ubud - swastika.jpg|A Balinese Hindu shrine
</gallery>