Taken on July 7, 2014 in Kochi (Cochin.)

Centuries before the Nazis hijacked the swastik “twisted cross” emblem, it was part of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist iconography. Throughout South Asia, the symbol generally expresses a wish for well-being (the word “swastik” literally means “well-being” in Sanskrit.) Of course, there are specific religious meanings that vary with the belief system that is utilizing the symbol.

One has to remember this when one is in a Jewish neighborhood in South Asia–such as this one in Kochi–because, otherwise, the prominent swastikas can be disconcerting given the Nazi’s inexplicable expropriation of this symbol.