The chakram (Sanskrit: cakra, cakram; Punjabi: cakkra, cakkram) is a throwing weapon from the Indian subcontinent.

The earliest references to the chakram come from the fifth century BCE Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana, where the Sudarshana Chakra is the weapon of the god Vishnu.

[citation needed] Chakarani is a name for flat, steel, throwing ring similar to the chakram and used by the Jubba tribe of central Africa.

[3] Chakram are traditionally made from steel or brass which is beaten into a circular shape against an anvil with an indentation for the curvature.

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.

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.

[citation needed] In the 1970s, the American inventor Alan Adler began attempting to improve upon a flying toy disc by considering its design characteristics.

Eventually, inspired by British accounts of deadly Indian weaponry and martial arts, he turned his attention to the ring shape of the chakram.