While New Delhi seeks to stabilize its relations with Azerbaijan after months of diplomatic friction, India’s ambassador-designate to Baku, Abhay Kumar, turned to history to highlight the common cultural heritage between the two countries.
In an article shared on
Stressed relationships
His position comes against the backdrop of a relationship that has faced great tension in recent months. Azerbaijan openly supported Pakistan during the military conflict between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, sparking a backlash in India. Travel platforms have reported a sharp rise in cancellations to Azerbaijan, with many Indian travelers choosing to avoid the two countries. More recently, Azerbaijan claimed that India blocked its bid for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, an allegation that added another layer of tension to bilateral relations.
The strategic background also influenced New Delhi’s approach towards Baku. Azerbaijan shares close defense relations with Pakistan and Turkey. In 2021, the three countries institutionalized their strategic partnership through the Baku Declaration, which envisioned deeper cooperation in the defence, intelligence, communications and economic sectors.
The three countries also conducted joint military exercises under the title “The Three Brothers,” which reflects the increasing military interoperability between these countries. The declaration also emphasized mutual diplomatic support on issues of territorial integrity, including support for Pakistan’s position on Jammu and Kashmir, a development that New Delhi is closely monitoring.
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A shared history over the centuries
Kumar’s article turns the conversation to shared history. He points to Garagamirli in the Shamkir region of Azerbaijan, where, according to Kumar, excavations have uncovered pottery and artefacts bearing swastika motifs dating back to around the second millennium BC.
Kumar says these discoveries place Azerbaijan within the broader Eurasian cultural landscape where versions of the symbol have appeared across many ancient civilizations.
He is careful not to suggest that every civilization gave identical meanings to the swastika or that the archaeological evidence represents a continuing cultural tradition. He argues that it shows how societies across Eurasia independently used similar symbols to express ideas of harmony, prosperity, and continuity.
Alashgah link
Kumar identifies a more direct historical link in 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 traveled through Persia and Central Asia to the Caspian Sea region. Unlike the prehistoric swastika motifs found at Garagamirli, Kumar points out that the symbol found at Ateshgah belongs to a documented Indian religious tradition carried by traders 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 still holds religious significance in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
Kumar distinguishes between the ancient sacred symbol and 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.
In concluding the article, Kumar says that the archaeological discoveries at Garagamirli, the Indian inscriptions at Ateshgah and the continuing presence of the swastika in Indian religious traditions together reflect centuries of interaction between India and Azerbaijan.
(With inputs from agencies)
