Weapons - Chakkar Quoit

An ancient Indian weapon adopted by Sikhs as part of their standard battle gear, the Chakkar quoit is unlike any other bladed weapons. It is a steel throwing ring with a razor sharp knife edge. Sikhs would carry a number of these of various diameters around their necks or in their turbans. The most common size of the Chakkar used in combat was typically 30cm and made of steel. By the mid 19th century the Chakkar had became more of a ceremonial weapon rather than a combat weapon, especially preferred by members of the Nihang warrior sect. Decorative Chakkar’s with beautiful gold inlays were not designed for combat but likely owned by princely rulers as a sign of their status or affluence

 

Memoir of the War in India, William Thorn, 1806
Besides the matchlock, spear, the scimitar, which are all excellent in their kinds, some of the Seiks are armed with a very singular weapon, which they use with great and destructive effect against cavalry. It consists of a hollow circle, made of finely tempered steel, with an exceedingly sharp edge, about a foot in diameter, and and inch in breadth on the inner side. This instrument the horseman poises on his fore-finger, and after giving it two or three swift motions, to accelerate its velocity, sends it from him to the distance of some hundreds of yards, the ring cutting and maiming, most dreadfully, every living object that may chance to be in its way. [1]

Footnotes

1. “Sicques, Tigers, or Thieves” : Eyewitness Accounts of the Sikhs (1606 – 1809)
Edited by Amandeep Singh Madra and Parmjit Singh, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004