Chakram

The chakram (Devanāgarī: चक्रं, Punjabi: chakkar, Malay: cakera), sometimes called a war quoit, is a throwing weapon from India. Its shape is of a flat metal hoop with a sharp outer edge from in diameter.

Unlike Chinese wind and fire wheels, which are larger and used as melee weapons only, the chakram was designed to be thrown but could also be used in-close. Because of its aerodynamic shape it is not easily deflected by wind. The word chakram comes from the Sanskrit term chakra, meaning circle or wheel.

History

Earliest references to the chakram come from the Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana where the Sudarshana Chakra is the weapon of the god Vishnu. Chakradhaari ("chakram-wielder") is a name for Krishna. The chakram was later used extensively by the Sikhs as recently as the days of Ranjit Singh. It was often 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.

From its native India, variations of the chakram spread to other Asian countries. In Tibet, Malaysia, and Indonesia, the chakram was not flat but torus-like. The Mongol cavalry used a similar throwing weapon with spiked edges.

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....
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