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Among the most interesting and perplexing aspects of the Nazi regime was its connection to India and Hinduism. Indeed, Hitler embraced one of the most prominent symbols of ancient India -- the swastika -- as his own.
The link between Nazi Germany and ancient India, however, goes deeper than just the swastika.
The Nazis venerated the notion of a "pure, noble Aryan race," who are believed to have invaded India thousands of years ago from Central Asia and established a martial society based on a rigid social structure with strict caste distinctions.
While scholars in both India and Europe have rejected and debunked the notion of an "Aryan race," the myths and legends of ancient Vedic-Hindu India have had a tremendous influence on many nations, none more so than Germany.
Perhaps the most fervent Nazi adherent to Indian Hinduism was Heinrich Himmler, one of the most brutal members of the senior command.
Himmler, directly responsible for the deaths of millions of Jews and others as the architect of the Holocaust, was a complex and fascinating man. He was also obsessed with India and Hinduism.
International Business Times spoke with two experts on German culture to explore Himmler and Hinduism.
Victor and Victoria Trimondi are German cultural philosophers and writers. They have published books on religious and political topics, including "Hitler-Buddha-Krishna-An Unholy Alliance from the Third Reich to the Present Day" (2002), a research about the efforts by National-Socialists and Fascists to construct a racist Indo-Aryan warrior ideology with strong roots in Eastern religions and philosophies.
IB TIMES: Heinrich Himmler was reportedly fascinated by Hinduism and ancient Indian culture, and he read the Bhagavad Gita, among other classic texts. How and when was he introduced to Indian culture? Was it prior to his joining the Nazi party or afterwards?
MR. & MRS. TRIMONDI: Himmler kept a diary where he not only listed the books he read but also provided extensive comments on these manuscripts. His entries regarding India and Indians were always very positive.
Himmler's Indian reading list started in 1919 [before the Nazi Party was formed] with a German translation of a novel called "Mr. Isaacs: A Tale of Modern India" by Marion Crawfords. Six years later, in 1925, Himmler also praised Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha as a "magnificent book."
Himmler was also drawn to "The Pilgrim Kamanita" by the Danish author Karl Gjellerup, which was a contemporary best-seller. In his diary, Himmler commented: "A precious narration. The content is the teaching of salvation."
