Chakram

Sikhs with Chakrams , inscribed Nihang Abchal Nagar ("Nihangs from Hazur Sahib"), 1844

The chakram (from Sanskrit : चक्र, chakra n. , Nom. Sg. Cakram , dt .: "circle" or "wheel") is a throwing weapon that was used in India. It consists of a flat metal ring with a sharp outer edge measuring 12 to 30 cm in diameter.

The earliest references to this weapon come from the Ramayana and Mahabharata epochs (around 400 BC - 400 AD). It was used by Indian soldiers - in later times mostly by Sikhs .

The chakram has a range of 40 to 50 meters. Due to its aerodynamic shape, it is insensitive to crosswinds in flight. The frisbee discs known as sports equipment (especially the also ring-shaped aerobies ) have similar flight characteristics.

See also

• Throwing knife

literature

• George Cameron Stone , Donald J. LaRocca: A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor: in All Countries and in All Times. Courier Dover Publications, 1999, ISBN 978-0-486-40726-5 .

Web links

Commons : Chakrams  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Chakram in the Pitt Rivers Museum
• Rudnick, Bret Ryan (1997): What the Heck Is a Chakram, Anyway? (engl.)
• Chakram in the Royal Armories
• Sikh priest with chakram