'Swastika connects India and Azerbaijan': Indian diplomat invokes ancient symbol amid strained ties

AS young new delhi seeks to stabilise its dealings with azerbaijani republic after months of diplomatical friction, India's Ambassador-designate to Baku, Abhay Kumar, has turned to history to highlight a shared civilisational legacy between the two countries.In an article shared on X, Kumar wrote that the sacred Swastika symbol "connects India and Azerbaijan across millennia", arguing that archaeological discoveries and historical records reveal centuries-old civilisational links between the two countries that predate modern geopolitics. Strained tiesHis post comes against the backdrop of a relationship that has faced significant strain in recent months. Azerbaijan openly backed Pakistan during the India-Pakistan military conflict following the Pahalgam terror attack, prompting a backlash in India. Travel platforms reported a sharp spike in cancellations to Azerbaijan , with many Indian travellers choosing to avoid the two countries. More recently, Azerbaijan alleged that India had blocked its bid for full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), an allegation that added another layer of tension to the bilateral relationship.The strategic backdrop has also influenced New Delhi's approach towards Baku. Azerbaijan shares close defence ties with Pakistan and Turkey. In 2021, the three countries institutionalised their strategic partnership through the Baku Declaration, which envisaged deeper cooperation in defence, intelligence, connectivity and economic sectors.The three nations have also conducted the "Three Brothers" joint military exercises, reflecting their growing military interoperability. The declaration also reiterated mutual diplomatic support on issues of territorial integrity, including support for Pakistan's position on Jammu and Kashmir, a development closely watched in New Delhi.Also Read: Indians sour on Turkey, Azerbaijan after conflictA shared history across centuriesKumar's article shifts the conversation to shared history. He points to Garajamirli in Azerbaijan's Shamkir district, where, according to Kumar, excavations have uncovered pottery and artefacts bearing Swastika motifs dating back to around the second millennium BCE. Kumar argues that these discoveries place Azerbaijan within a wider Eurasian cultural landscape where versions of the symbol appeared across several ancient civilisations.He is careful not to suggest that every civilisation attached identical meanings to the Swastika or that the archaeological evidence represents one continuous cultural tradition. Rather, he argues, it illustrates how communities across Eurasia independently used similar symbols to express ideas of harmony, prosperity, and continuity.The Ateshgah linkKumar identifies a more direct historical link at the Ateshgah Fire Temple near Baku, which served as a place of worship for Hindu and Sikh merchants and pilgrims between the 17th and 19th centuries.The temple complex contains inscriptions in Devanagari and Gurmukhi scripts invoking Hindu deities, including Lord Ganesha and Lord Shiva, providing evidence of Indian trading communities that travelled through Persia and Central Asia into the Caspian region. Unlike the prehistoric Swastika motifs found at Garajamirli, Kumar notes that the symbol at Ateshgah belongs to a documented Indian religious tradition carried by merchants and pilgrims.The article also traces the origin of the Swastika to the Sanskrit word svastika, meaning well-being or good fortune, and notes that it continues to hold religious significance in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Kumar distinguishes the ancient sacred symbol from its appropriation by Nazi Germany in the twentieth century, arguing that the latter represents only a brief episode in the symbol's much longer history.Concluding the article, Kumar argues that the archaeological discoveries at Garajamirli, the Indian inscriptions at Ateshgah and the continuing presence of the Swastika in India's religious traditions together reflect centuries of interaction between India and Azerbaijan.(With inputs from agencies)