The Swastika and Its Use in Buddhist Uyghur Culture

Abstract

the Sanskrit expression swastika in the pre -Islamic Turkish belief system as witnessed by Buddhist Uyghur texts. The study consists of six sections. The first section of the study includes the dictionary meaning of the term swastika of Indian origin and its reflections in various cultures. In the second section, the place and reflections of the swastika object in Hinduism and Buddhism are given. In the third section, there are evaluations on how the swastika, which was a respected object in many belief systems in the past, especially in Indian religions, became a political symbol with the Germans in the 20th century. The fact that the positive meaning of the swastika turned into 'brutality' and 'pain' with the Nazis is an 'oxymoron' in terms of human history. In the fourth section, the swastika, known as Az Tamga in the pre -Islamic Turkish belief system in the witness of visual art elements, symbolizes the 'unity of God' by taking the name 'wheel of fortune' in the Islamic period. The fifth section aims to reveal the linguistic and cultural level of swastika in the pre -Islamic Turkish belief system among the Buddhist Uyghurs. In this section, firstly, at the linguistic level, the equivalents of the Sanskrit word swastika in Turkish vocabulary are discussed; it is seen that there is no Turkish equivalent of the word; the Sanskrit word swastika is mainly expressed with Tocharian and Chinese words. The examples in Buddhist Uyghur texts generally show that the swastika object conveys 'holiness' both alone and with the help of other words. Finally, in the testimony of written texts, the other reflection of the Sanskrit swastika expression in the pre -Islamic Old Turkic belief system in the sixth section is that it inspired a phrase (om svasti siddham) that expresses 'wish' in the category of 'applause' (prayer). This phrase, which usually appears at the beginning and end of Buddhist rituals, is related to the Sanskrit word swastika. The word swastika, which is discussed at linguistic and cultural level under various headings in the study, is an important cultural word that shows the Buddhist aspect of the Old Turkic belief system.