SUDARSANA CAKRA

In all major religious traditions, gods and goddesses adorned with weapons are worshipped. An increase in the number of hands results in the increase of Ayudhas.

The Ajitagama in the Avaranas or prakaras of Siva temples, while mentioning the gods to be worshipped, after mentioning the Dikpalakas, prescribes the Puja of Ayudhas such as Vajra, Sakti, Khadka, Danda and Pasa.

In Kamikagama, the colours for the weapons are also prescribed. In the Saiva agamas, the fifth prakara from the garbha grha is specially denoted for weapons.

Ayudhas of Vishnu
In some places, weapons of Vishnu-Gada, Sanka and cakra are also personified. An interesting representation of Gadadevi in the personified form of a female is to be found on the base of Anantanarayana panel of Deogarh. She is identified by the knot of her hair shaped like the rounded handle of the weapon club.

In Harappan seals the pair of disc and conch seals are found together and that too in the introductory signs in the Harappan texts. It is interpretated by Iravatham Mahaddevan that the wheel and conch symbols which occupied the important place in the seals may be the base for the development of Cakra and Sanka – symbolism associated with later Vaisnavism.