The swastika (also known as the gammadion cross, cross cramponnée, or manji) is a symbol that generally takes the form of an equilateral cross, with its four legs bent at 90 degrees (as a Chinese character: 卐 or 卍). It is considered to be a very sacred and auspicious symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
The word swastika derives from the Sanskrit svastika "lucky or auspicious object". The older term gammadion cross derives mainly from its appearance, which is identical to four Greek gamma letters affixed to each other.