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Chakram ( sa, , script=latn; pa, , script=latn) is a throwing weapon from the
Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...
. One of its major purposes is to protect the turban and the head from sword/melee attacks. It is circular with a sharpened outer edge and a diameter of . It is also known as chalikar meaning "circle", and was sometimes referred to in English writings as a "war-
quoit Quoit may refer to: * Quoit, a single-chambered megalithic tomb, also called a Dolmen * Quoit (brooch), a pre-medieval type of brooch * A ring used in the game of quoits * Chakram, a weapon sometimes called a war-quoit * Quoit, Cornwall Quoit ...
". The Chakram is primarily a throwing weapon but can also be used hand-to-hand. A smaller variant called ''chakri'' is worn on the wrist. A related weapon is the ''chakri dong'', a bamboo staff with a chakri attached at one end.


History

The earliest references to the chakram come from the 5th century BCE Indian epics ''
Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...
'' and ''
Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages e ...
'' where the
Sudarshana Chakra Sudarshana Chakra (Sanskrit: सुदर्शन चक्र, lit. "disc of auspicious vision", IAST: Sudarśana Chakra) is a spinning, celestial discus with 108 serrated edges, attributed to Vishnu and Krishna in the Hindu scriptures. The Su ...
is the weapon of the god
Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within ...
. Contemporaneous Tamil poems from the 2nd century BCE record it as ''thikiri'' (திகிரி). Chakra-dhāri ("chakram-wielder" or "disc-bearer") is a name for
Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...
. The chakram was later used extensively by the
Sikhs Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
at least until the days of
Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He ...
. Even in present days the Nihangs wear chakkar on their damalaas and is also in the uniform of Sikh Regiment worn on
turban A turban (from Persian language, Persian دولبند‌, ''dulband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Commun ...
. It came to be associated with Sikhs because of the Nihang practice of wearing chakram on their arms, around the neck and even tied in tiers on high turbans. The Portuguese chronicler
Duarte Barbosa Duarte Barbosa (c. 14801 May 1521) was a Portuguese writer and officer from Portuguese India (between 1500 and 1516). He was a Christian pastor and scrivener in a ''feitoria'' in Kochi, and an interpreter of the local language, Malayalam. Barbo ...
writes () of the chakram being used in the Delhi Sultanate.
The people of the kingdom ... are very good fighting men and good knights, armed with many kinds of weapons; they are great bowmen, and very strong men; they have very good lances, swords, daggers, steel maces, and battle-axes, with which they fight; and they have some steel wheels, which they call chakarani, two fingers broad, sharp outside like knives, and without edge inside; and the surface of these is of the size of a small plate. And they carry seven or eight of these each, put on the left arm; and they take one and put it on the finger of the right hand, and make it spin round many times, and so they hurl it at their enemies, and if they hit anyone on the arm or leg or neck, it cuts through all. And with these they carry on much fighting, and are very dexterous with them.
From its native India, variations of the Chakram spread to other Asian countries. In
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
and
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, the chakram was not flat but
torus In geometry, a torus (plural tori, colloquially donut or doughnut) is a surface of revolution generated by revolving a circle in three-dimensional space about an axis that is coplanar with the circle. If the axis of revolution does not ...
-like.
Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
cavalry used a similar throwing weapon with spiked edges. Chakarani is a name for flat steel throwing ring similar to the chakram and used by the Jubba tribe of central Africa.


Construction

Chakram are traditionally made from steel or brass which is beaten into a circular shape against an anvil with an indentation for the curvature. Two ends are connected with a piece of brass and then heated, forming a complete circle before the brass is removed. Some chakram, even those used in combat, were ornately engraved, or inlaid with brass, silver or gold. The chakram is wide and is typically in diameter. The smaller variations are known as ''chakri'' while the larger ones are called ''vada chakra'' which were as large as a shield.


Techniques

The chakram's combat application is largely dependent on its size. Regular-sized (diameter of or more) steel chakram could be thrown , while brass chakram, due to their better airfoil design, could be thrown in excess of . If properly constructed, it should be a perfect circle. Warriors trained by throwing chakram at lengths of green
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
. In single combat, the chakram could be thrown underarm like a modern Aerobie. In battles, it was usually thrown vertically so as to avoid accidentally hitting an ally on the left or right side. A stack of chakram could be quickly thrown one at a time like
shuriken A ''shuriken'' ( ja, 手裏剣; literally: "hidden hand blade") is a Japanese concealed weapon that was used as a hidden dagger or metsubushi to distract or misdirect. They are also known as throwing stars, or ninja stars, although they we ...
. On elephant or horseback, chakram could be more easily thrown than spears or arrows. Because of its aerodynamic circular shape it is not easily deflected by wind. The most iconic method of throwing a chakram is ''tajani'', wherein the weapon is twirled on the index finger of an upraised hand and thrown with a timed flick of the wrist. The spin is meant to add power and range to the throw, while also avoiding the risk of cutting oneself on the sharp outer edge. An adept user can twirl the chakram while using another weapon with the other hand. The use of tajani in battle was perfected by the Nihang who employed a particular formation to protect the chakram-wielder from harm. Although variants of the chakram would make their way to neighbouring parts of the region, the tajani technique appears to have remained unique to Indian martial arts. The smaller chakri could also be worn on the arms or wrists and used like knuckledusters. When worn on the arms the chakri could be used to break or cut the opponent's arms while grappling. The larger ''vada chakra'' were worn around the neck and thrown or dropped down on the opponent vertically. In the turban, it could be raked across an enemy's face or eyes while fighting.


Modern inventions and applications

In the 1970s, the American inventor Alan Adler began attempting to improve upon a flying toy disc by considering its design characteristics. He tried streamlining the shape of the disc to reduce drag, but this resulted in a disc that was more unstable in flight. Eventually, inspired by British accounts of deadly Indian weaponry and martial arts, he turned his attention to the ring shape of the chakram. This led to the development of the predecessor of the Aerobie, which was called the "Skyro".


In popular culture

* The titular character of the NBC show '' Xena: The Warrior Princess'' wielded two chakrams. * In '' Deadliest Warrior'', a
Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
warrior uses a chakram during his fight with a Roman
centurion A centurion (; la, centurio , . la, centuriones, label=none; grc-gre, κεντυρίων, kentyríōn, or ) was a position in the Roman army during classical antiquity, nominally the commander of a century (), a military unit of around 80 le ...
. * In the Bandai Namco video game '' Tales of Symphonia'', the playable character Colette Brunel wields chakrams. * In the ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...
'' episode "The Big Brawl, Part 2",
Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual ...
fights a warrior with chakrams. * In season five of ''
Agents of Shield ''Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen for American Broadcasting Company, ABC, based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland I ...
'', Ruby Hale, the genetically engineered weapon made by Whitehall used a chakram as her signature weapon. * In the video game '' Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning'', the chakram is a craftable and is also an acquirable weapon from enemies. * In the video game '' Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition'', the DLC titled ''Dynasties of India'' included the playable civilization
Gurjaras Gurjaradesa ("Gurjara country") or Gurjaratra is a historical region in India comprising the eastern Rajasthan and northern Gujarat during the period of 6th -12th century CE. The predominant power of the region, the Gurjara-Pratiharas eventual ...
, whose unique unit is the Chakram Thrower. ** In the video game '' Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties'', the chakram is used by the unique unit, also called Chakram, of the native Udasi Temple. * In the MMORPG '' Black Desert Online'', the Kunoichi class wields the chakram as their awakening weapon. * In the Japanese manga and anime series ''
One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chapte ...
'', a chakram is used by Django. * In the video game series '' Skylanders'', the character Freeze Blade wields two chakrams made of ice. * In the book series '' Wings of Fire'', the character Deathbringer used them as a primary assassination implement. * In the video game '' Terraria'', the player is able to craft a Thorn Chakram and to obtain a Fruitcake Chakram to attack enemies from afar. * In the video game series ''
Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square). It is a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company and is under the leadership of Tetsuya Nomura, a longtime Square E ...
'' the character Axel wields two chakrams imbued with fire magic as his weapon of choice, although in function they more closely resemble Wind and fire wheels. While he primarily uses his signature pair dubbed the "Eternal Flames", he has access to a wide variety of chakrams in his playable appearance in '' Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days''


See also

*
Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
* Gatka *
Javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with t ...
*
Shuriken A ''shuriken'' ( ja, 手裏剣; literally: "hidden hand blade") is a Japanese concealed weapon that was used as a hidden dagger or metsubushi to distract or misdirect. They are also known as throwing stars, or ninja stars, although they we ...
* Wind and fire wheels


References


External links


Details of chakram history and use



More history and cultural details
* http://www.flight-toys.com/rings/chackrum.html
Chakrams history during World War One
{{Authority control Weapons of India Throwing weapons Blade weapons Weapons in Hindu mythology Indian inventions Sikh Empire Nihang