The chakram (Sanskrit: cakra, cakram; Punjabi: cakkra, cakkram) is a throwing weapon from the Indian subcontinent. It is circular with a sharpened outer edge and a diameter of 12–30 centimetres (4.7–11.8 in). It is also known as chalikar[1] meaning "circle", and was sometimes referred to in English writings as a "war-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.
Chakram
Sikhs with chakrams, inscribed "Nihang Abchal Nagar" (Nihang from Hazur Sahib), 1844
The earliest references to the chakram come from the 5th century BCE Indian epicsMahabharata and Ramayana where the Sudarshana Chakra is the weapon of the god Vishnu. 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. The chakram was later used extensively by the Sikhs at least until the days of Ranjit Singh. Even in present days the Nihangs wear chakkar on their damalaas and is also in the uniform of Sikh Regiment worn on turban. 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 writes (c. 1516) of the chakram being used in the Delhi Sultanate.[2]
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 and Malaysia, the chakram was not flat but torus-like. Mongol cavalry used a similar throwing weapon with spiked edges.[citation needed]
Chakarani is a name for flat steel throwing ring similar to the chakram and used by the Jubba tribe of central Africa.[3]
Construction
Mid-19th century Nihang turban from Lahore. Cotton over a wicker frame and steel overlaid with gold. "A tall conical turban provided convenient transportation for a number of sharp steel quoits – edged weapons hurled to lethal effect by the practised hand of the Akalis."
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.[4]
The chakram is 0.5–1.0 in (13–25 mm) wide and is typically 5–12 in (130–300 mm) in diameter. The smaller variations are known as chakri while the larger ones are called vada chakra which were as large as a shield.
The chakram's combat application is largely dependent on its size. Regular-sized (diameter of 15 cm (5.9 in) or more) steel chakram could be thrown 40–60 m (130–200 ft), while brass chakram, due to their better airfoil design, could be thrown in excess of 100 m (330 ft). If properly constructed, it should be a perfect circle. Warriors trained by throwing chakram at lengths of green bamboo. In single combat, the chakram could be thrown underarm like a modern Aerobie.[citation needed] 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. 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.[citation needed]
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".[5]
^HILL, JOHN (1963). "5-THE GANGES PLAIN". THE ROCKLIFF NEW PROJECT – ILLUSTRATED GEOGRAPHY – THE INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT. London: BARRIE & ROCKLIFF. pp. 173–174.
^Duarte Barbosa (1970). A Description of the Coasts of East Africa and Malabar. London: Johnson Reprint Corporation.
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For other uses see Chakram disambiguation This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article may be confusing or unclear to readers Please help clarify the article There might be a discussion about this on the talk page November 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Chakram news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message The chakram Sanskrit cakra cakram Punjabi cakkra cakkram is a throwing weapon from the Indian subcontinent It is circular with a sharpened outer edge and a diameter of 12 30 centimetres 4 7 11 8 in It is also known as chalikar 1 meaning circle and was sometimes referred to in English writings as a war 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 ChakramSikhs with chakrams inscribed Nihang Abchal Nagar Nihang from Hazur Sahib 1844TypeCirclePlace of originIndiaProduction historyVariantsChakri Chakri dang Contents 1 History 2 Construction 3 Techniques 4 Modern inventions and applications 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksHistory EditThe earliest references to the chakram come from the 5th century BCE Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana where the Sudarshana Chakra is the weapon of the god Vishnu Contemporaneous Tamil poems from the 2nd century BCE record it as thikiri த க ர Chakra dhari chakram wielder or disc bearer is a name for Krishna The chakram was later used extensively by the Sikhs at least until the days of Ranjit Singh Even in present days the Nihangs wear chakkar on their damalaas and is also in the uniform of Sikh Regiment worn on turban 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 writes c 1516 of the chakram being used in the Delhi Sultanate 2 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 and Malaysia the chakram was not flat but torus like Mongol cavalry used a similar throwing weapon with spiked edges citation needed Chakarani is a name for flat steel throwing ring similar to the chakram and used by the Jubba tribe of central Africa 3 Construction Edit Mid 19th century Nihang turban from Lahore Cotton over a wicker frame and steel overlaid with gold A tall conical turban provided convenient transportation for a number of sharp steel quoits edged weapons hurled to lethal effect by the practised hand of the Akalis 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 4 The chakram is 0 5 1 0 in 13 25 mm wide and is typically 5 12 in 130 300 mm 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 EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed March 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message The chakram s combat application is largely dependent on its size Regular sized diameter of 15 cm 5 9 in or more steel chakram could be thrown 40 60 m 130 200 ft while brass chakram due to their better airfoil design could be thrown in excess of 100 m 330 ft If properly constructed it should be a perfect circle Warriors trained by throwing chakram at lengths of green bamboo In single combat the chakram could be thrown underarm like a modern Aerobie citation needed 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 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 citation needed Modern inventions and applications EditIn 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 5 See also EditBoomerang Gatka Javelin Shuriken Wind and fire wheelsReferences Edit HILL JOHN 1963 5 THE GANGES PLAIN THE ROCKLIFF NEW PROJECT ILLUSTRATED GEOGRAPHY THE INDIAN SUB CONTINENT London BARRIE amp ROCKLIFF pp 173 174 Duarte Barbosa 1970 A Description of the Coasts of East Africa and Malabar London Johnson Reprint Corporation THROWN WEAPON TYPES AND THROWN WEAPON USE 500 BCE TO 1600 CE PDF Society for Creative Anachronism November 2012 Pair of war quoits Pitt Rivers Museum 2010 09 21 Archived from the original on September 21 2010 Retrieved 2012 12 18 Cassidy John 1989 The Aerobie Book An investigation into the Ultimate flying mini machine Klutz Press ISBN 0 932592 30 9 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chakrams Details of chakram history and use History of chakram More history and cultural details http www flight toys com rings chackrum html Chakrams history during World War One Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chakram amp oldid 1130880885, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
