chakram
Sign in to saveThe chakram (; ) is a throwing weapon from the Indian subcontinent. 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". 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.
Key facts
- Weapon.name
- Chakram
- Weapon.image
- Sikhs with chakrams.jpg
- Weapon.caption
- Sikhs with chakrams, inscribed Nihang Abchal Naga (Nihang from Hazur Sahib), 1844
- Weapon.type
- Circle
- Weapon.is_vehicle
- no
- Weapon.origin
- Indian subcontinent
- Weapon.is_ranged
- No
- Weapon.is_bladed
- Yes
- Weapon.is_explosive
- No
- Weapon.is_artillery
- No
- Weapon.is_missile
- No
- Weapon.variants
- Chakri Chakri dang
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
7 sectionsContents
- History
- Construction
- Techniques
- Modern inventions and applications
- See also
- References
- External links
The chakram (; ) is a throwing weapon from the Indian subcontinent. 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". 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 fifth century BC Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana, where the Sudarshana Chakra is the weapon of the god Vishnu. Contemporaneous Tamil poems from the second century BC 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 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. Portuguese chronicler Duarte Barbosa writes () of the chakram being used in the Delhi Sultanate.