The Indus Civilization c6.47

c6.47

are quite often found on the seal-amulets, especially the former device, which sometimes occurs on a square button-seal. These symbols, however, are not peculiar to the Indus valley, for they were equally well known in Elam at a very early date, and ultimately were used in many parts of the ancient world. It is difficult to be at all certain of the exact significance of these two motifs in the religion of the Indus valley; but at the present day the svastika, which, by the way, is Eastern and not Western in origin, is regarded in India as a very lucky sign, and is commonly painted on the mud shrines of that country as well as being used in many other ways. If it be a solar sign, as some people claim, it might have been regarded as akin to the skirls which have been described. The four-armed svastika occurs at both Mohenjo-daro and Harappa with the arms pointing either backwards or forwards, and the former position appears to have been deemed quite as efficient a luck-bringer as the latter.