ABSTRACT
India possesses a rich heritage, involving two great religions, Hinduism and Buddhism. These two religions along with their political patronization developed an architectural vocabulary expressing their spiritual desire and aspirations. Later when Muslims invaded India, they introduced a new architectural approach, evident in their secular and religious structures all over the Indian subcontinent.

The Muslim rulers constructed a number of majestic buildings with the use of important features influenced by local culture, climate, tradition, material and technology. This study presents a tangible evidence of the use of Hindu auspicious motifs in the Mughal architecture of India. Many different auspicious motifs are found in the Mughal architecture, but the study focuses specifically on the use of the auspicious motif, the Swastika, and to identify the influencing factors of its the development over the ages.

Origination and the meaning of Swastika
The mention of Swastika is first found in the Vedas and is as old as history and culture of India. Since the Indus valley civilization (B.C. 3000) this symbol was very popular among the people1. Even in the Buddhist caves like the Ajanta and the Ellora the frescoes are preceded or followed by the Swastika motifs. Other countries also symbolically used this symbol with different terminology, for example the Swastika was known in China as wan, in England as fylfot, in Germany as Hahenkreuz, and in Greece as tetraskelion.

Etymologically, in Sanskrit the word Swastika signifies happiness, pleasure and good luck, the prefix Su, denotes the meaning 'good' and asti denotes 'good existence' or 'auspicious occasion', or prosperity.2 Prof. Maxmuller in his Ilious described its Indian origin as follows:

Very little is known of Indian art before the 3 rd century B.C., the period when the Buddhist sovereigns their public building. The native Buddhist monarchs ruled from B.C. 500 to the conquest of Alexander in B.C. 330. In Panini's time (B.C 450), he used the word Swastika as the name of the particular sign in his old grammar. 3

The Swastika is believed to be one of the oldest symbols made by men, and dates back to some 6,000 years.4 According to Jim Clark an ancient Asian art expert and owner of Clarke & Clearke Asian antiquates and Tribal Art in Sante Fe, the early inhabitants of India and Iran used the Swastika as an emulate or protective device. He says:

In the 17th century, India and Iran were exotic places to Europeans, things brought back from these countries were viewed as exotic. To incorporate this symbol was considered very avant- garde5

Symbolic significance of Swastika in Hinduism
Many theories were propounded on the symbolism of the Swastika. It is also the emblem of many Hindu Gods and Goddesses, like the maker and ruler of the universe God Brahma.

Gorge Birdwood interpreted that the word Swastika as the limbs that turns towards the right is male principle the limb towards the lift denotes the female principle. It said the first represents the mail principle represent God Ganesha, the second the female principle represent the Goddess Kali.6 It, in fact bares the name of Swastika when the limbs are bent towards right, and Suavastika when they are turned to the left. There is mention also in the Puranas that the mass worshipped the solar deity in its symbolic form of Swastika.

Another renowned scholar Dr. Richter explains that women bore the Swastika upon their arms, and when they assumed the position of arms crossed over their breasts the Swastika being brought into prominent view, possibly gave the name to the position as being a representative of the sign.7 There is also a mentioned of the sign of Swastika marked over the ship of Bharata in Valmiki's Ramayana. 8

The evidence of the application of the Swastika symbol in ancient building is mentioned by Varahamihira about certain buildings called the Swastika and nanadavarta, which is similar to the present outline of the Swastika symbol, and it is also mentioned that some Stupas have been build on the plan of the Swastika.9 If traced back Swastika symbol was marked on a number of early Christian tombs, it was an archaic custom to mark the tomb with this symbol or to place vases with Swastika symbols in the tombs. It was performed to ensure the safety of the departed soul or to fend of demonic spirits.

The understanding of the Swastika as a blueprint for a fort can also be etymologically corroborated, because in Sanskrit, Vasu means to inhabit and Vastu means good. The word Swastika might be an amalgam of the term Su and Vastu pronounced as Swastu meaning good habitation.10

Incorporation of the Swastika in Mughal monuments.
Decoration is a major unifying factor in Mughal architecture and design. No motif, design or technique that we may find in Mughal architecture is an isolated phenomenon. The need to study about the decorative motifs is to find out why the motif was applied in Mughal architecture.

The Swastika symbol was not confined to the Hindu traditions for it was central and important decorative element in the architectural traditions of the Mughal rulers, who came to India from the Central Asia in the 16th Century. One of the greatest rulers Akbar departed from the general policy of intolerance followed by earlier Islamic dynasties in India and introduced new ideas about toleration towards the Hindu religion and respect for the culture of the indigenous people of India.

The architecture of his reign evolved into a fascinating amalgamation of both Hindu and Islamic art, in fact Mughal architecture is also termed as Indo-Muslim architecture. While the ancient Indian relied chiefly on sculpture and Mughals with their proverbial love for colour and decoration and opted different method of embellishment. The fusion of Indian and Islamic architecture, traditionally describes a kind of biological fertilization leading to the birth of a new school of Islamic architecture, rightly called the Indo-Islamic architecture.

There is no doubt that some brilliant scholars detected this bias of Mughal architecture. The names of A.B.M Husain, Muluk Raj Anand, A.K Commaraswamy, Ram Nath, Saiyid Athar Abbas Rizvi and Vincent John Adams Flynn, David Wade, Percy Brown, R.A Jairazboy, W.Smith, E.V Havell may be mentioned for their contribution on art and architecture of Mughal period. But there has been a lack of the comparative study and critical analysis of the motifs depicted in the Mughal architecture. Among the pioneers of historians was Percy Brown, whose contribution was bliss for the people interested in Mughal architecture. His book is a pathway to know what actually Mughal art and architecture is all about. But there was very less mention about the motifs depicted in Mughal architecture.

In fact it can be traced that the Aryans used the Swastika symbol and regarding the origination of the symbol and the application of the symbol, the scholar E.B. Havell mentions that "One may find primitive type, or any of the forms and symbols which Indian artist molded to their own desires, and trace them back to their archaic roots in Chaldaea, Babylon, Assyria, Persia, or Greece, but for the vital creative impulse which inspired any period of Indian art, whether it be Buddhist, Jain or Hindu, Indian culture planted in Indian soil by Aryan philosophy, which reached its biggest artistic expression, before he Mogul dynasty was established and influenced the greatest works of the Mohammedan period as much as any others"10.

In the time of Akbar's period an attempt was made to bring cultural fusion, and the Hindu auspicious motifs were used in the Mughal building during Akbar's period as an architectural elements for aesthetic effect more then symbolic representation. Akbar invited the guilds of indigenous artisans from all parts of India and employed them and gave them full freedom for the display of their art. Finally the building that came up combined the superb exuberance and grandeur of the indigenous art with the inspiration, which the patrons most aesthetically provided. Interestingly among one of the favorites motifs in Mughal architecture was the Swastika.

In Hindu architecture the Swastika was never used as decorative motif but was used as an auspicious symbol. The Swastika is a solar symbol, which served as a model of the four-armed pattern of the cosmos spreading in four directions. According to the scholar Ramnath the Swastika in Mughal art and especially in the buildings of Akbar it appeared as an ornamental motif along with other geometrical design11.

An example of the use of such a symbol in Indian art is shown in a sculpture from Mathura (Fig 1 at the bottom of this page). In a book by Ramnath he says: This symbol was mostly used in the buildings of Akbar at Fatehpur Sikri and Agra as an ornamental motif pure and simple, almost always forming the main geometrical design12.

Application of the Swastika symbol at Fatehpur Sikri
Fatehpur Sikri preserves the most faithful and most authentic record of the amalgamation of the decorative motives of Hindu, Islamic as well as Chinese. The monument of Fatehpur Sikri provides the key to the aspiration of the people who brought the motifs in to applied forms in the monuments, and the use of the religious Hindu motifs and Chinese motifs can abundantly be found in Fatehpur Sikri.The Swastika, the secret motifs was indigenously introduced in the monuments of Fatehpur Sikri

Some of the places where these motifs were used in Fatehpur Sikri is in the Palace of Birbal where the Swastika was used in a geometrical design form, curved in stone (Fig 2). According to the scholar E.W.Smith this design was traceable to Persian and Arabic examples. The symbol is of great antiquity and is found also in the rock cut temple of Western India. It is prevalent also in Chinese and Japanese workmanship, but they may with the exception of the Swastika, which is purely Indian, have probably been derived from Arabic and Persia13.

Fig 3 shows the Swastika symbol depicted on the borders of the dado panels at Sultan's House at Fatehpur Sikri. The Swastika motifs beautifully enclose the naturalistic vegetation composition of the dado.

Four Swastika patterns (Fig 4) occur on either facade of the main entrance to Akbar's tomb, which are finished in mosaic of different coloured stones14. In fact Swastika was used at Fatehpur Sikri on a very large scale in incised carved stone, jalies and stucco. One of the reason may be to use this motif is because the very composition of the motif, opening in four directions gives it a unique dynamism and facilitates the evolution of a wide variety of geometrical design with the repetition Swastika as a key.15 In fact a flow of patterns can be adapted by the application of the Swastika.

According to the author Ramnath in the book Decorative Art in Mughal Architecture:

the adaptability of the motif to repetitions in four directions in a geometrical pattern, rather than its symbolism, was in the mind of Akbar16

Purpose of using the Swastika motifs
By the study of the use of this symbol in the buildings of Akbar, cannot be concluded that it was only used for decorative purpose because if thought about the use of the motif on the gateway of the tomb of Akbar, it not only shows that it was also used for symbolic purpose. So why was it used on the gate way of the tomb? If seen by Hindu point of view Swastika means prosperity and Swastu means good habitation. Also if traced back the depiction of the Swastika was also found in the early Christian tomb and they were used for to protect from evil sprit. Therefore the motif was also used for symbolic purpose.

If looked back, Humayun believed in Hindu astrology and with the accession of Akbar in 1556 .D. marked the beginning of a new era, and he also accepted the popular believes of the former. So the use of the Swastika motif was also used as symbolic as well as for decorative purpose. Another reason to justify the purpose of using the motif symbolically is that Akbar employed many Hindu craftsmen and allowed them to freely display their skill, therefore the Hindu craft men emphasized more on the Hindu auspicious symbol and curved them out on the Mughal the buildings. Also such kinds of auspicious motifs such as the Swastika were used to decorate the buildings during the Mughal period to bring unity among the people of different religion. Fig 5 shows the use of the Swastika in a way that it seems the continuation of the edges was in a never-ending pattern and with the stretched edge of the motif again some geometrical pattern was created in a beautiful manner.

Also, Fig 6 shows that in order to enhance the beauty of architectural pattern a floral motif is added wherever there is a space left between the edges of the Swastika in a continuous manner.

If traced back in the Vedas no where it was mentioned that the Swastika could be drawn or composed in a circular form where as if looked in the Indo- Islamic architecture such an example was seen where the Swastika was curved out in a circular manner, retaining only the originality but modified in a ornamental form, such an example is given in Fig 7

Conclusion
The use of the Swastika motifs bears an individuality of their own and inspired by the auspicious character of the symbol, which was understood by the builders and the people. There is no doubt, that the motifs was not merely ornamental but is associated with a meaning, Infarct the Swastika motif of ancient Indian art had a meaning and it was used with this symbolism in view, and it has to be studied in each case if the same formula was applied in Mughal architecture symbolically or just for ornamentation. Infect by using this kind of motifs it shows that Mughal architecture is free from any religious bias or preferences and is a secular art with unreserved emphasis on the aesthetic aspect.

The Hindu builders of Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan's time had taken the Persian court tradition and revitalized it by joining it with their own and they could adapt such a new style because the Hindu craftsmen inherited a strong unbroken tradition founded upon long centuries of practical experiment and devotion to their art that they could so much easily assimilate all the foreign element, which were imported into India by successive changes of dynasty and religion. Therefore, these foreign borrowings were never mere copied, but were always given distinctive Indian character.