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dharmachakra
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Gold dharma wheel with eight spokes flanked by two gold deer statues on the roof of Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet, against a clear blue sky. Stone dharmachakra wheel with intricate carvings stands upright on a stone base at the Si Thep ruins in Thailand, with trees and ancient stone walls in the background. Stone relief sculpture from the Kushan dynasty shows the Buddha seated and teaching surrounded by disciples, with deer and a dharma wheel below, representing the First Sermon at Sarnath. Illustration of a golden dharma wheel (dharmachakra) on a red background, with each of its eight spokes labeled to represent the steps of the Buddhist Eightfold Path, including right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration. Dharmachakramudra (wheel of dharma hand symbol) Stone sculpture of four back-to-back lions atop a pillar, known as the Ashoka lions, the national emblem of India, with a carved wheel and animal figures below. Flag of India
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Sanskrit:
“wheel of dharma” or “wheel of law”
Pali::
dhammachakka
Also spelled:
dharma chakra and dharmacakra
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Gold dharma wheel with eight spokes flanked by two gold deer statues on the roof of Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet, against a clear blue sky.
Dharmachakra and two deer An eight-spoked wheel of dharma (dharmachakra) in gold flanked by two deer and sitting atop the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet.

dharmachakra

Buddhism
Also known as: ☸, dhammacakka, dharma chakra, dharmacakra, wheel of dharma, wheel of the law(Show More)
Written by
Charles Preston
Charles Preston is Associate Editor for Religion at EncyclopĂŚdia Britannica.
Charles Preston
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History
Top Questions

What is the dharmachakra in Buddhism?

How did Emperor Ashoka use the dharmachakra?

Why is the dharmachakra featured on India’s national flag?

dharmachakra, in Buddhism, a symbol representing the Buddhist concept of dharma (Pali: dhamma), the doctrine taught by the Buddha. The wheel of dharma originates from the significance of the wheel (Sanskrit: chakra) in ancient Indian symbolism of kingship rooted in the use of chariots for warfare. The dharmachakra appears frequently in Buddhist art and sculpture as a representation of the Buddhist teaching. The dharmachakra with eight spokes has become a widespread symbol of Buddhism and has its own Unicode character (U+2638): ☸.

The Buddha turns the wheel

Stone dharmachakra wheel with intricate carvings stands upright on a stone base at the Si Thep ruins in Thailand, with trees and ancient stone walls in the background.
Dharmachakra with central axle holeElaborate and large stone sculpture of a 29-spoke wheel of dharma (dharmachakra) complete with axle hole; c. 7th century, Si Thep, Thailand.

According to stories of the Buddha’s life, soon after his birth sages predict that the child will either be an enlightened being—a buddha—or a great king called a chakravartin (“turner of the wheel”) who will rule far and wide. Because of the role of chariots in ancient Indian warfare, the chariot wheel was a common symbol of royal strength and empire. Despite his father’s best efforts to shield Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha’s personal name) from awareness of human suffering, which might make him choose a religious mendicant path, the prince abandons his royal status in search of enlightenment.

Stone relief sculpture from the Kushan dynasty shows the Buddha seated and teaching surrounded by disciples, with deer and a dharma wheel below, representing the First Sermon at Sarnath.
The Buddha's first post-enlightenment sermon A panel in Greco-Roman-influenced Gandharan style depicting the Buddha's first sermon at the Deer Park, Sarnath, India. His five disciples stand nearby listening and two deer flank a 16-spoke dharmacharka image beneath. Panel made from schist, c. late 2nd to early 3rd century ce, Kushan dynasty, Gandhara, at Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

After the Buddha attains enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, he journeys to Isipitana (Sarnath), near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. There, in a place called Deer Park, he gives the first teaching to five disciples. In the Buddhist tradition this first sermon is considered to be the first turning of the wheel of dharma, setting the tradition in motion. Subsequent traditions within Buddhism suggest that there were two additional turnings of the wheel of dharma as the Buddha further elaborated his philosophy and showed the path to liberation.

Illustration of a golden dharma wheel (dharmachakra) on a red background, with each of its eight spokes labeled to represent the steps of the Buddhist Eightfold Path, including right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.
The Eightfold Path illustrated with a dharmachakraThe dharmachakra, “wheel of dharma,” is frequently used to symbolize the Eightfold Path in Buddhism.

A key concept in the Buddha’s first sermon at Deer Park is the Eightfold Path, a formulation of the Buddhist route to enlightenment. Dharmachakra images commonly have eight spokes representing the eight components of the Eightfold Path. The dharmachakra image is often depicted with a deer on either side.

Dharmachakramudra (wheel of dharma hand symbol)
Dharmachakramudra (wheel of dharma hand symbol)A wall mural painting of the Buddha giving the first sermon turning the wheel of dharma and making the “wheel of dharma gesture” (dharmachakramudra); Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet.

In some artistic depictions of the Buddha, as he gives his first sermon at Sarnath, he is seen holding up his hand and making a circular mudra (hand gesture). This mudra that mirrors the wheel of dharma is known as the dharmachakramudra. Some images of the Buddha during this first teaching depict him with the vitarkamudra, a gesture indicating instruction.

Although primarily associated with Buddhism, the dharmachakra also appears in Jain sculptural history as a wheel of the teaching. Some archaeological evidence based on sculptures and ayagapatas (votive slabs) points to ancient Jain worship of dharmachakra symbols on pillars. The appearance of dharmachakras in Jainism, according to some scholars, was possibly adopted as a symbol from early Buddhism, but the historical interrelation between the two traditions with regard to this symbol is not crystal clear.

Ashoka’s symbol

Lion Capital of Ashoka
Lion Capital of AshokaA replica of the Lion Capital of Ashoka that topped an ancient column at Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh, India. The original capital, which was used as the basis for India's national emblem, is in a museum at Sarnath.

In the 3rd century bce, the Mauryan emperor Ashoka adopted Buddhism and erected monuments at Sarnath. Among his most notable monuments is a pillar capital topped with lions and decorated with 24-spoke dharmachakras. It is unclear precisely what Buddhist meaning, if any, might be indicated by the number 24 in Ashoka’s dharmachakras. According to scholars, the wheels symbolize simultaneously the dual nature of Ashoka’s rule, combining royal authority and military prowess with his commitment to Buddhist teaching. In Buddhist thought the royal chakravartin was often considered the secular counterpart of an enlightened buddha.

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Flag of India
Flag of IndiaHorizontally striped deep saffron (yellow-orange), white, and green national flag with a 24-spoked blue chakra (wheel) in the center. The flag's width-to-length ratio is 2 to 3.

The Ashokan dharmachakra has a prominent place on the modern Indian national flag, which the Indian Constituent Assembly officially adopted on July 22, 1947, in the final weeks of the Indian independence movement. The flag committee replaced the flag’s previous centerpiece of a yarn spinning wheel (charkha)—a symbol associated with Mahatma Gandhi—with a blue 24-spoke dharmachakra based on the one found on the Ashokan Lion Capital. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, was instrumental in the decision to place a dharmachakra in the center of the new national flag to reflect Ashoka’s legacy and style of governance.

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Charles Preston