Hey guys, today we are going to look at this traditional Indian weapon called Chakra or
Chakram.
This is a medieval form of this weapon and there are several advanced versions, like
this ancient Chakra, also known as Sudharshan Chakra which is supposed to be extremely sophisticated,
- we will see this in a few minutes.
Now, let us focus on this Chakra, I call it the Ring chakra and this is essentially a
flat ring made of metal.
This is a special kind of weapon because we usually use hand held weapons, but this is
a throwing weapon, and that's unique.
While it is quite possible to use the chakra simply as a hand-held cutting weapon like
a knife in close combat, the beauty of the Chakra is in throwing it - It was mostly used
as a throwing weapon.
If you throw it, you can see the damage it can do to a human body.
If this weapon was thrown at someone's neck it would create a very deep wound, possibly
a fatal injury.
Even if you hit the enemy on his sides, the cut is deep.
The Chakra is also different from other throwing weapons like a throwing axe, for example.
A throwing axe can only hit and damage at one single point, but the Chakra keeps rotating
even as it comes in contact with anything.. so, it will create a much deeper and larger
cut as it rotates, within the body of the enemy.
You can see such a cut here.
Typically, a Chakra like this is about 2 inches to a 6 inches in radius.
It is designed with a sharp outer edge, and a blunt inner circumference, So you are safe
to hold it from the inside and you can even twirl it with your fingers and just kind of
snap release it on your enemy.
Now, this is actually an original antique weapon so it is not that sharp, antique collectors
like my friend Jayesh won't sharpen it because it will lose its antiquity, but it can still
do serious damage, after all these years.
So, what is the history behind this weapon?
We do have solid historical records of this weapon from the year 1500 onwards.
When Europeans came to India, they were astonished to see this weapon, being used by a group
of people called Sikhs.
Sikhs are known for their integrity and bravery, and they follow a specific religion known
as Sikhism.
Europeans noted that Sikh Warriors wore a long conical turban, and Chakras of different
sizes were placed on them.
A chakra was put on the index finger of the right hand, and made to spin several times
and then hurled with great force at the enemy lines, and the razor edges created terrible
wounds and incredible damage to the enemy.
While European accounts are quite vivid, they don't have any pictures.
But we do have pictures of these chakras from an Indian text called Akbar Nama, these are
original pictures from this 16th century text.
And you can see there are several flying rings, and you can see wounded people with deep cuts.
Notice how these people are wearing these Chakras, and some of them are twirling these
on their fingers.
Each warrior would throw half a dozen of these chakras directly on the frontlines, and it
will completely destroy the enemy lines.
A barrage of Chakras flew against the enemies in the first few minutes of any battle.
Now, historians thought that this Ring chakra was invented by Sikhs just before 1500 A.D.
However, in 2014, a stone pillar was excavated in South India which has confirmed that this
Ring Chakra was used many centuries before the birth of Sikhism.
Sikhism was only founded in 1469, but archeologists confirm that this pillar is much older, it
belongs to 12th or 13th century A.D, and this weapon was used by Hindus, because the excavation
site was a Hindu temple.
And this is definitely the Chakra weapon because it also has other weapons carved around it.
So, was the Chakra invented around the 12th Century?
No, the Chakra has a much deeper history.
Ancient Indian texts older than 2000 years describe a much more technologically advanced
weapon called the Sudharshan Chakra.
This weapon is described as the weapon of Lord Vishnu, and it is said to spin for a
very long time, it was capable of creating fire, and it can even return to the owner
after striking the enemy.
In fact, the TV series Xena: Warrior Princess uses a similar weapon inspired by ancient
Hindu texts.
Today, historians classify these texts as mere mythology and not historical documents.
However, there is a thousand year old model of this weapon, this was made in the 11th
Century.
This Chakra is said to be modeled after the original Chakra of the Gods.
It is called a Prayoga Chakra or an experimental chakra, which is not a fully functional one,
but an experimental model.
In the center, it originally had a scientific diagram of the weapon, which is now eroded.
The entire Chakra can spin, both at the front, and you can see that this circular knob at
the back can also turn.
This back wheel denotes the input, and the other side would be the output.
Now, the symbolism is amazing, because there are 8 spokes in the wheel, each depicting
half a quadrant, and on the 4 corners rubies are placed.
In ancient Hinduism, Rubies denote solar energy, they stand for the deep red color from the
rays of the sun.
Now, let us look at the output side, and you can see uncut, unpolished diamonds on the
4 corners depicting fire or combustion as output energy.
You can even see flame like decorations around it.
This is really fascinating, because according to ancient texts, the Sudharshan Chakra was
created using Stardust and operated using Solar energy.
This Chakra is said to have 2 concentric circumferences which moved in opposite directions and could
spin for a long time.
In the past, people thought of this as mere fiction, but today we are able to build devices
like fidget spinners with very simple technology, and these also have multiple circumferences
and can spin very fast, and can keep spinning for a very long time.
Is it possible that such a technology existed in ancient times?
Did an advanced civilization exist in ancient India, which was using sophisticated weapons
and are we merely thinking of this as fiction or mythology?
But there is something even more strange, the Sudharshan Chakra was not only limited
to India, some artifacts were found near Afghanistan, in the ancient Bactrian Kingdom and here you
can see a 4th century seal where a Bactrian king is shown worshiping Lord Vishnu.
And look at Lord Vishnu's top right hand.
This is the simple ring Chakra, but look at the bottom left hand.
You can see the Sudharshan Chakra which is much larger.
The weapon is almost half the size of a human being, compare it with the king and look at
the giant stature of Lord Vishnu.
And we can also find ancient coins minted outside India showing the same Chakra and
archeologists confirm that yes, this is in fact the Sudharshan Chakra & Lord Vishnu.
But perhaps we need to go in the other direction, to South East Asia to find the truth about
the Sudharshan Chakra.
In Thailand, strange artifacts are found.. they look like modern day rotors with cutting
blades and have a great aerodynamic design.
I mean look at the similarity between this and modern day rotor blades.
These are known as Chakram or Chakri in Thailand.
What is even more fascinating is that, today, Thailand is ruled by a royal dynasty called
the Chakri Dynasty.
Their royal emblem is a combination of the Chakra and the trident.
Thai people believe that the original Sudharshan Chakra is still held by the Royal Family of
Thailand who are considered as descendants of Gods.
Is it possible that the original Sudharshan Chakra still exists?
Or is it merely an imaginary weapon?
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section, I am Praveen Mohan, thanks a lot
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