Tag: Weapons in Mahabharata

There are numerous weapons described in the Mahabharata.

I have posted on various weapons used in the Mahabharata Battle and the Weapons of Mass Destruction(WMD).

These are deadly weapons and so far I have been able get information on them through the epics and other texts in Sanskrit/Tamil literature.

And of course one sees many of these weapons in Hindu Temples either as a weapon in God’s hands or as a sculpture/painting in the Prahara of a temple.

Some of these weapons were called Astras, while the others  were known as Sastras.

The Sastras are conventional weapons which can be used by anyone with proper training as one uses a Gun.

But Astras are different in that they can be used only after initiation from a Guru.

And one is expected to chant a specific Mantra.

Brahmastra, the equivalent of Hydrogen Bomb is an Astra.

There is another category of weapon which can be used both as conventional weapon and as an Astra.

This is the Chakra, (Discus)

Famous Chakra is Vishnus’ Sudharshan Chakra.

Lord Krishna also wields this.

Now a working Model of this has been found in Melarasur,near Lalgudi

The news item explains.(image below)

‘The chakram (Devanāgarī: चक्रं; Panjabi: chakkar; Malay: cakeram) is a throwing weapon from India. It is circular in shape with a sharpened outer edge and ranges in size from approximately 12–30 centimetres (4.7–11.8 in) in diameter. 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 was worn on the wrist. A related weapon is the chakri dang, a bamboo staff with a chakri attached at one end…

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,” or simply “circle-man”) is a name for Krishna. The chakram was later used extensively by the Sikhs as recently as the days of Ranjit Singh. 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, Malaysia, and Indonesia, the chakram was not flat but torus-like. The Mongol cavalry used a similar throwing weapon with spiked edges.^{[citation needed]}

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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.

The chakram is half an inch to one inch wide and is typically between 5-12 inches in diameter. The smaller variations are known as chakriwhile the larger ones are called vada chakra which were as large as a shield.

Throwing Technic.

The chakram’s combat application is largely dependent on its size. Regular-sized (15+ cm dia.) steel chakram could be thrown 40–60 meters, while brass chakram, due to their better airfoil design, could be thrown in excess of 100 meters.^[4] 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. In battle, 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.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakram

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