What's your Avatar?

[DaveA]

No, this is not an "aerobe" flying toy.

My avatar is a 19th C. "Chakkar Sada" from India, a type of Chakrum also known as a Chakra, Chakar, and Quoit. This was the weapon of choice for Sikhs for hundreds of years. The ring is beveled to generate aerodynamic lift. It is radial patterned welded steel and very sharp on the outside edge. With a range of 40 to 50 meters, it is utter silent when thrown properly.

Just like the Aerobie, Frisbee, and similar toys, there are many ways to throw it — but unlike them, no way to safely catch it!

The Nihang, an armed Sikh order, were masters of this weapon and would hurl volleys of these (as with Shuriken) at the enemy in much the same role of artillery. It is also useful in melee, worn around the arm or wrist or held.

Chakrams are rarely found today. After the Sikh wars and after the mutiny of 1857, in the general disarmament that took place many old weapons were destroyed and sold as metal.