Indian Hexagram framing the Om Symbol

Indian Hexagram framing the Om Symbol

Taken by Batel, daughter of Shuka Di Nur

(c)  

2011
See the video clip on YouTube

Six pointed star in Rangoli- Video Clip

Six pointed star in Rangoli

The traditional decorative folk art of India 

Rangoli, Jayanagar , Mysore, India

Mughal Six Pointed Star, Jaisalmer, India

Mughal Six Pointed Star 

At Jaisalmer rajasthan India 

Unique disign - Flower in a Hexagram surrounded by Rhombs

all carved in a sandstone so that  most of the artifact is actually a shadow

Courtesy of

(c) 

Lesley Bearman Lahm

Hexagrams in Diwali Decorations

Happy Diwali

Diwali Light festival is celebrated on the first day of Kartika month

(on October or November)

The frequent usage of hexagrams as one of many star motives in Indian culture
seems to relate to the most basic connection between
 the shape of the stars in  the skies
and their light

  CC picture by pangalactic gargleblaster from Flickr

See my Gallery

Hexagrams in Indian Sandpainting

Hexagrams are only one of many motifs of the Indian geometrical sandpainting made usually with rice powder. It is created by millions of Hindu women every morning in front of their houses in order to bring prosperity to their families. Rice powder is used to invite ants and birds to eat it… the idea is to contribute to the harmony of the world.

Hexagrams in Indian Sandpainting

Courtesy of Raji.srinivas from Wikipedia entry Kolam

Other names for Indian Sandpainting are: Alpana, Aripana, Madana, Rangoli, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Chowkpurana, Muggu.

Kolam made from Lentils

Courtesy of preetamrai from Flickr

Hexagram made from elements ordered as palindrom rows: 1-4-3-4-1

 Courtesy of kalyan from Flickr

Hexagram Pattern - Indian Sandpainting

 Courtesy of arimoore from Flickr

Indian Hexagram and Swastika

pattern indian women use everyday to make pictures or rangoli/kolam in front of the house or near the diety

Courtesy of 

Nagashree Naveen who published this picture on Flickr

with the caption

sudarshana chakra/mandala

Hexagram as part of a Mandala from Tibet

Hexagram as part of a Mandala from Tibet

19th century

Vajrayogini at the center

Rubin Museum of Art

Copied from Wikipedia entry: Vajrayogini

Gudrun Bühnemann is a Professor at the Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In her book, Mandalas and Yantras in the Hindu traditions (2003) there’s a chapter about the hexagram, where I found some info that was new to me (but I didn’t find an answer to the question about the origin of the Indian hexagram).

P, 43

The hexagram (satkona, sadara, tara) - Begley [1] 1973:85 notes that the word star, Tara, appears as a synonym for satkona

My Note (zeevveez): the sound of the word "sadara" id also close to he sound of the word "star".

[1] Begley Wayne Edison, Vishnu's flaming wheel: the iconography of the Sudarśana-cakra, New York University Press for the College Art Association of America, 1973

P. 44

In Budhist Tantrism the word "evam" is thought to be represented by two intertwined triangles...Kolver discusses the shapes of the letter e and the va which were remeniscent of downward pointing and upward pointing triangles around the sixth century C.E. and were visualized as hexagram... when Vagra-yogini is described as situated “in evam” this means that she is visualized inside a hexagram.

In descriptions of the symbolic shapes (mandala) of the elements the hexagram represents the element wind.

In the hexagram the deities are often worshipped at the points of intersection of the two triangles…

P. 45

In Budhist traditions hexagrams appear especially in mandalas of Vajra-Varahi / Vajra-Yogini.

According to Nath 1975-1976:78 the hexagram is also found in Indian temples, especially in Rajastahn were it is believed to have been associated with the worship of Siva and Sakti.

The hexagram appears in Islamic monuments of North India. Its center features a point (bindu) a lotus or a dancing peacock. (Nath 1975-1976:74-75).

Singapore - Six-pointed Star Body Piercing

Singapore - Six-pointed Star Body Piercing

During festival

Photo by amateur_photo_bore from Flickr

Singapore - Six-pointed Star Body Piercing

During festival

Photo by amateur_photo_bore from Flickr

Hexagram on a Window Grill in Jaipur, India

Courtesy of Stephanie Comfort ©

Star of David on a Window Grill in Cochin, India

Courtesy of Stephanie Comfort ©

Serpent God Indian Hexagram

18th century depiction of the awakening of kundalini force - the serpent of Shiva

Indian Hexagrams and snakes

18th century depiction of the Birth of the World. Hexagrams appear above the shoulders of the central blue figure.

Indian Hexagram on Cochin State Post Stationery

From:

India and Israel, Bombay 1951 p. 23-26, The shield of David

Indian Bank Hexagram Logo Thoufeek Zakriya

Picture of  disordered shape

of six point star is courtesy of Thoufeek Zakriya

Picture  of six point star with a dot in center is courtesy of Thoufeek Zakriya

Star of Goloka

Picture is courtesy of Thoufeek Zakriya from
thoufeekzak.blogspot.com

On May 9, 2009 Swami B. G. Narasingha posted a lengthy article to FourWinds10 (under the title: Star of David or Star of Goloka?) where he tells us that the six-pointed star is known in Vedic cultures as Sat-kona or Goloka-yantra.

He cites from “the oldest known Vedic literature, Sri Brahma-samhita” [Discovered in the 16th century but there’s no mention of its date of composition]:

“The center of the divine lotus is the core — Krsna's residence… is mapped as a hexagonal mystic symbol [sat-konam]...The great mantra of eighteen syllables [Gopala-mantra], which is formed of six integral parts, is manifest as a hexagonal place with six-fold divisions.” [Sri Brahma-samhita, Ch-5, Tx-3]

“The core of that eternal holy abode which is called Gokula is the hexagonal land of Krsna's abode. [Sri Brahma-samhita, Ch-5, Tx-4]

According to Wikipedia [entry “Goloka”] Goloka is Krishna's heaven (souls return to the material world again and again to perfect themselves and go to Goloka). Etymology: “Goloka means the world of cows. The Sankrit word 'go' can refer to either cows or star”.

Indian Hexagram Ritual

From: Inman, Thomas (1820-1876) Ancient pagan and modern Christian symbolism (1884)

Sri lantra [Yantra] is an ancient Hindoo [Hindu] emblem. The circle represents the world, in which the living exist; the triangle pointing upwards shows the male creator; and the triangle with the apex downwards the female; distinct, yet united. These have a world within themselves, in which the male is uppermost. In the central circle the image to be worshipped is placed. When used, the figure is placed on the ground, with Brahma to the east, and Laksmi to the west. Then a relic of any saint, or image of Buddha, like a modern papal crucifix, is added, and the shrine for worship is complete. It has now been adopted in Christian churches and Freemasons' lodges. 

Hexagonal Postage Stamps

Bulgarian star of David made from six stamps

Commemorating 100 Years to Sofia Synagogue

Issued on 09.09.2009

Designer:Radoslav Iliev

Thanks to Cvetan Cvetkov for referring me to this stamp

-

Since I consider myself the inventor of the six-pointed-star-shaped postage stamps I felt intimidated by this rivalry, but:

1. It was issued after “my Stamp”
2. It wasn’t six-pointed from the start.

This set of 2 stamps, which shows Aldabra giant Tortoise, was released on 2 August 2008 by the Indian postage Service. The stamp in picture is courtesy of Mansoor Hussain who wrote to me:

It is not star shaped (originally it is in hexagonal shape) it has been cut from the sheet in star shape.

Copyright: Mansoor Hussain 2008

Varanasi Swastikas

Hexagram framed by many Swastikas appears in a shop in Varanasi, India.

In India the meaning of these two symbols is quite different that their Western interpretation.

Copyright: Dr. Gilad Galili 2008 (I cropped the hexagram from a larger image he sent me)

Thanks to Dobush for referring me to this interesting image.