Most young people today do not even imagine what a chakram is. The older generation remembers that this is an amazing metal ring that was expertly used by Xena, the warrior princess from the popular 90s eponymous series. And very few people know: the chakram is an ancient Indian weapon. Perfect, as believed by the Sikhs and other warriors of past centuries.
Legacy of the Gods
The people of India in life, life and on the battlefield have always relied on ancient sacred teachings and treatises. Like many other attributes, the chakra throwing weapon , as it is called in its homeland, was an imitation of a powerful fire disk with a hole inside, which was used in the wars of gods, demons and people in the Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. According to legends, the gods created it: Brahma himself fanned the fire for him, Vishnu put in a piece of divine anger and handed over the blank to Shiva, who endowed the weapon with the power of his third eye and pressed his whole foot into a fiery disk that cut off the head of the demon Jalamdhar himself.
Chakram - the weapon of antiquity
Unfortunately, mere mortals do not possess the power of the gods. Despite a beautiful legend, there is still no exact understanding of where this deadly ring came from in the traditions of India. The controversy surrounding its origin has not subsided so far. According to the main hypothesis, even in the Neolithic era, ancient people used stone as a projectile, and already in the Stone Age this object acquired polished sharp edges around the entire perimeter. This hypothesis is confirmed by recent findings in archaeological excavations of the north of the country. Thus, the chakram is a weapon that has gone from ordinary stone to a perfect metal form.
Materials, sizes, types
The deadly disk has become an integral part of Indian culture and combat technology. For the manufacture of chakras, copper or steel strips were used, the width of which varied from 10 to 40 mm, and the thickness reached 3.5 mm. Accordingly, the diameter of the finished product could be 120-300 mm. If we turn to the treatise of Fakhr al-Din "The Art of War", which was written in the 13th century, we find out that it indicated that the disk itself would be of two types: lighter with a hole and heavier without a hole. But an unusual form of this ancient weapon was used in Ceylon. It could be characterized by a capacious phrase “spiky chakram”, since it had a jagged outer edge, but in the local dialect its name sounded like “a pair of Wallall”.
True craftsmanship
Travelers of those centuries, and all the others who saw and described the possibilities of a formidable drive in battle, admired its deadly strength, harmonious perfection and application technique. The Indian chakram throwing weapon could cut off an enemy limb, and its flight range could reach one hundred meters, although the most convenient distance for striking was 50 meters. The art of owning the chakram was not publicly available, it was the privilege of only aristocratic families, whose offspring began their studies from early childhood. It is quite natural that in inept hands a deadly disk could do more harm than good, and cripple not so much the enemy as the thrower itself and those around it. Chakra throwing technique also had its own nuances. So, there were several throwing methods. A warrior could spin a throwing disk on the middle finger or rod and point it towards the enemy, in another case, the ring was clamped between the palm and thumb, like a modern flying saucer. And yet, thanks to many different tricks, the soldiers threw chakrams not only horizontally, but also vertically, and even in series.
Art of War
Another treatise on military affairs called Dhanurveda described the Indian canonical throwing and small arms, and one of the twelve types was the chakram. The weapon that killed at a distance, without contact of the warrior himself with the victim, was the most revered in India, because it did not burden karma, which is very important for such a religious nation. This is also one of the reasons why the deadly discs were so in demand and were second only to the bow, which was considered more perfect. The mastery of five types of weapons was part of the mandatory training program for young men from noble families, they were taught the correct technique of possession from an early age. The sequence of the use of one weapon or another was strictly determined as one approached the enemy. The first was a bow, the second was a chakra, then a sword and a spear were used, very close a mace and a knife. For the most extreme case, the methods of battle without weapons were also studied.
From excellence to oblivion
Until the 12th century, unique lethal disks were in service with the army, but gradually the military leaders began to adopt the technique of battle from other nationalities, in particular, the Turks, Persians, and the chakra - national pride and heritage - remained only an aristocratic passion and was not used in this battle. However, the art of owning these ancient weapons was not completely forgotten. This was the case until the sixteenth century, when the technique of fighting the chakra did not return to life and did not receive a second wind, but all thanks to the Sikhs, the followers of the new religion from Punjab. Their history is inseparable from the war, and partisan, because there are always obviously more opponents.
Sikh tactics are inextricably linked to sudden attacks from ambushes, a stunned enemy, a deadly attack and a lightning retreat, so that the enemy could not react and understand where to wait again for the offensive. And therefore it is not surprising that the Sikhs chose chakram as their main weapon. They even developed a special tactic - volley throwing of honed rings, with the front row of metal from the shoulder from the palm of the hand, and the back row with rotation from the fingers above the heads of the first. Gradually, the chakram (weapon) became a real symbol of the Sikhs. Nihangas, members of the radical branch of the Sikhs, were especially distinguished in this. His image was also present on the main emblem of this movement - Khanda. In significance, it can be compared with the Muslim crescent or the Jewish star of David.
In addition, the chakrams and Sikhs and nihangas were worn as ornaments, they were worn on the “dastar bunga” - a national pointed turban, worn behind the back, and the largest specimens - on the neck. Particularly zealously opposed by the Sikh colonization of India by Britain. They fought for a long time and desperately, but in 1957 the British crushed the rebellion, broke and disarmed the rebels, destroying all their arsenals. Over time, the art of chakra mastery has lost its significance and is gradually forgotten. The last mention of their use dates back to the 40s of the last century, while street robbers sometimes used them. Nowadays, formidable weapons are only a cultural heritage and a symbol of the Sikhs.
Analogs in other cultures
The Chakras are the throwing weapons of India, but other ancient peoples created something similar. The closest analogue is Chinese throwing plates, called "coins of the poor", made of bronze and reaching a diameter of 60 mm. Sometimes they were also sharpened around the edge.
"Fei Pan Biao" is another creation of the Chinese. These plates resemble the modern circular saw blades, it is closer to the "spiked chakrams" of Ceylon. Also in the Land of the Rising Sun there are analogues of deadly disks, moreover, they have gained greater fame than the chakras. These are multipath stars - shurikens. However, the biggest difference between these weapons is not the form, but the method of use. Throwing plates of other countries used secretly, in the shade, this tool of assassins, while the chakras were widespread, used openly and on a large scale - in large battles and not only.