Cakram

Cakram is a term rooted in Sanskrit, derived from cakra, meaning wheel, circle, or disk. In transliteration across Indian languages, cakram is used to denote a circular object or cycle, and appears in religious, literary, and everyday contexts. The form cakram is the neuter singular in certain grammatical traditions, but in practice it is often encountered as a general transliteration of the same root.

In Hinduism and related cultural contexts, cakram is commonly associated with wheel-like concepts and objects. The most widely known use is in reference to the Sudarshana Chakra, the spinning discus wielded by Vishnu. Beyond this, cakram can symbolize cycles of time, cosmic order, or mandala-like designs in ritual and art, reflecting a broader association with circularity and wholeness.

In addition to scriptural and artistic usage, cakram appears in discussions of language and nomenclature as a transliteration variant of the word cakra. The term is also encountered in historical descriptions of the circular throwing weapon known as the chakram, used by warriors in the Indian subcontinent, a sense that preserves the core idea of a circular, disk-shaped object.

Modern usage often preserves cakram as a transliteration in literature and academic writing, where it may be contrasted with other spellings such as cakra or chakra depending on linguistic or stylistic conventions. See also: cakra, chakra, Sudarshana Chakra, Kalachakra.