Actually Ganesh adopted the svastika as one of his symbols.
The symbol itself has existed in Hindu belief for very much longer than Ganesh, and in Hindu belief generally it is understood as a positive sign; since Ganesh is the diety who is concerned with beginnings and success, it is fitting that this symbol should have been adopted for use by Ganesh.
Ganesh has probably only existed as a Hindu deity since around the 3rd or 4th century current era, and the sect of Ganapatya where Ganesh is recognised as the supreme deity did not arise until about the 800's or 900's.
In Hindu belief we say "svastika", not "swastika". The root is Sanscrit:- "asti" which means "it is", a positive affirmation. I've forgotten the "su" and "ka" meaings, but I think "su" might be an intensifier, and "ka" indicates the word form.
|