Sudarshana Chakra

Sudarshana Chakra Media

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  Iconography of the Sudarshana Chakra upon a temple wall

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  Artistic representation of Chakrapani Perumal worshiped in Tamil Nadu.

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  A Vrishni silver coin from Alexander Cunningham's Coins of Ancient India: From the Earliest Times Down to the Seventh Century (1891)

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  Sudarshana Chakra depicted as Chakratalvar who is an ayudhapurusha and a fierce aspect of his owner Vishnu

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  Chakra in a 13th-century-CE metal Vishnu icon

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  An 18th-century bronze representation of the Sudarshana Chakra at Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore.

Lord Vishnu holding the chakra, a symbolic representation of the Sudarshana Chakra on his right hand's forefinger

The Sudarshana Chakra (सुदर्शन चक्र) is a spinning, disk-like weapon literally meaning "disk of auspicious vision," having 108 serrated edges, used by the Hindu god Vishnu. The Sudarshana Chakra is generally portrayed on the right rear hand of the four hands of Vishnu, who also holds a shankha (conch shell), gada (mace), and a padma (lotus).

In the Rigveda, the chakra was Vishnu’s symbol as the wheel of time. By the later period, the Sudarshana Chakra emerged as an Ayudhapurusha (anthropomorphic form), a fierce manifestation of Vishnu used for the destruction of enemies. In Tamil, the Sudarshana Chakra is also known as Chakkrath Azhwar (translated as “Ring” or “Circlet of God”).