Western use of the swastika in the early 20th century

The swastika (from Sanskrit svástika) is an ancient Eurasian religious symbol that generally takes the form of an equilateral cross with four legs each bent at 90 degrees in either right-facing (卐) form or left-facing (卍) form.^[2][3] It is considered to be a sacred and auspicious symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism and dates back at least 11,000 years.^[4]

The swastika (gammadion, fylfot) symbol became a popular symbol of luck in the Western world in the early 20th century, as it had long been in Asia, and was often used for ornamentation. The Nazi Party adopted the symbol in the 1920s,^[5] and its use in Western countries faded after the Nazi association became dominant in the 1930s.^[6] In recent decades many public swastikas have been removed or covered over, although some have been retained.