Chakras: Indian origins, history and the modern Western reading
Chakra means “wheel” in Sanskrit. From medieval Tantric texts to the rainbow of the 1970s: what chakras were in India, and what they have become in the West.
Key points
| Word | Chakra (cakra): “wheel” or “circle” in Sanskrit |
|---|---|
| Texts | Indian Tantric traditions, Hindu and Buddhist, from around the 8th century |
| Number | Varies by tradition: from four to seven main chakras, sometimes many more |
| Seven-chakra system | Popularised in the West by The Serpent Power (Woodroffe, 1919), then Leadbeater (1927) |
| Rainbow colours | A modern association, first combined as a single set in 1977 according to historian Kurt Leland |
| Scientific evidence | None: these are symbolic representations, not organs |
What “chakra” means
In Sanskrit, cakra (usually written chakra in English) means “wheel” or “circle”. The word shares the same Indo-European root as the Greek kyklos (cycle). In the earliest Vedic texts it first refers to the wheel of a chariot, and the chakravartin is the king who “turns the wheel of his empire”. Only later did the word come to apply to centres in the subtle body.
In Indian traditions, this “subtle body” is a symbolic representation used in yoga, Tantrism and certain meditation practices. It includes channels (nadi) through which a breath or energy (prana) is said to flow, and centres, the chakras, which are visualised as lotuses with a varying number of petals. It is a support for visualisation and a symbolic framework, not a description of anatomy.
The texts: a system that varies
Specialists do not agree on when the idea of energy centres in the body first appears. Channels of breath are already mentioned in the Upanishads, but scholars debate whether those texts describe chakras. Hierarchies of centres appear around the 8th century CE in Buddhist Tantric texts such as the Hevajra Tantra, which mentions four. Other texts, such as the Kubjikāmatatantra (around the year 1000), describe five or six. The number of main chakras therefore varies between four and seven, and some texts count many more.
The source of the six-chakra system, with a centre at the top of the skull, is the Ṣaṭ-cakra-nirūpaṇa (“description of the six centres”), composed in 1577 by Pūrṇānanda Yati. In this text, the lotuses have four, six, ten, twelve, sixteen and two petals, and the colours described are not those of the rainbow: according to some translations, the first lotus is red, the second vermilion, the third dark like a rain cloud, the fourth blood red, and the fifth smoky violet. The colours in fact vary from one tradition to another.
From Sanskrit to the West: a five-stage journey
- 1919: the Englishman John Woodroffe, under the pen name Arthur Avalon, published The Serpent Power, a translation and commentary on the 1577 text. The book introduced the system to Western readers (some references give 1918 for its first edition).
- 1920s: authors linked to the Theosophical Society, including Charles W. Leadbeater (The Chakras, 1927), connected the chakras with nerve plexuses, endocrine glands and “auras”. This reading, far removed from the Indian tradition, left a lasting mark on the West.
- 1932: the psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung gave a seminar on kundalini yoga in Zurich. He read the chakras as symbols of levels of consciousness, not as physical realities.
- 1977: Christopher Hills published Nuclear Evolution, in which the seven chakras are associated with the colours of the rainbow. According to the historian of religions Kurt Leland, the rainbow colours and the list of associated qualities appear together only from this date.
- 1980s onward: authors such as Anodea Judith (Wheels of Life, 1987) popularised the system within the New Age, body-oriented psychotherapy and Western yoga. Coloured stones became associated with the chakras.
In his book Rainbow Body (2016), Kurt Leland sums up this history: the Western system is the product of an “unintentional collaboration” among many authors. In other words, the system of seven coloured chakras that we see everywhere is a product of the 20th century, drawing on an older Indian tradition but departing from it markedly.
The seven chakras of the modern system
| Chakra (Sanskrit name) | Symbolic location | Modern colour | Traditional element | Modern keywords |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root (muladhara) | Base of the spine | Red | Earth | Security, grounding |
| Sacral (svadhisthana) | Lower abdomen | Orange | Water | Creativity, emotions |
| Solar plexus (manipura) | Navel | Yellow | Fire | Will, confidence |
| Heart (anahata) | Centre of the chest | Green (sometimes pink) | Air | Love, relationships |
| Throat (vishuddha) | Throat | Blue | Ether (space) | Expression, communication |
| Third eye (ajna) | Between the eyebrows | Indigo | Spirit, light | Intuition, vision |
| Crown (sahasrara) | Top of the head | Violet or white | Beyond the elements | Sense of the sacred, consciousness |
Read this table as a reading grid. The keywords and colours are those of the modern Western system; they differ from the Indian texts, and you will find variants depending on the author.
And the stones?
The association “one chakra, one stone of the same colour” is a modern invention, with no basis in the Indian texts. It rests on the simple idea of a colour correspondence: red for the root (red jasper, garnet, haematite), orange for the sacral (carnelian), yellow for the solar plexus (citrine, tiger’s eye), green or pink for the heart (green aventurine, rose quartz), blue for the throat (sodalite, chalcedony), indigo for the third eye (lapis lazuli, amethyst), violet for the crown chakra (amethyst, clear quartz). These lists vary from one author to another. See our guide to the chakras.
It is therefore a recent tradition, which can be used as a framework for meditation or decoration, without attributing any power to it.
What science says
There is no scientific evidence that chakras exist as energy centres in the body. The nerve plexuses and endocrine glands to which they are sometimes compared are real structures, but their function has nothing to do with the symbolic roles attributed to chakras. This assessment is shared by associations of sceptical scientists.
On the other hand, certain practices that draw on the chakras (slow breathing, meditation, yoga, attention paid to the body) are studied for their effects on stress and well-being, with modest and variable results. If these practices feel good, it is independently of whether chakras are real: breathing and attention are soothing in themselves. They can therefore be approached as a symbolic map and a support for attention, rather than as an anatomy.
In every case, a physical or psychological condition should be handled by a health professional, not by “rebalancing the chakras”.
An attention exercise, without promises
If you would like to try the chakras as a simple support for concentration, here is a three-minute exercise that requires no belief:
- Sit comfortably, feet on the floor. Close your eyes or lower your gaze.
- Take three slow breaths, lengthening the exhalation slightly.
- Bring your attention in turn to seven areas of the body: the base of the spine, the lower abdomen, the solar plexus, the centre of the chest, the throat, the forehead, the top of the head. About ten seconds for each, simply noting what you feel (warmth, tension, nothing in particular).
- Finish with one deep breath, then open your eyes.
This exercise resembles a “body scan”, practised in many mindfulness methods. The colours and stones can accompany it if you enjoy them, but they are not necessary. If an area of the body is persistently painful, speak to a doctor. See also our meditation with a stone.
Respecting the original tradition
The chakras belong to living religious traditions, Hindu and Buddhist. Reducing them to decorative colours without mentioning their origin can seem disrespectful to practitioners. If the subject interests you, read the works of specialists (translations of texts, the research of historians), and always distinguish what comes from the Indian texts from what comes from the New Age. On our site, the pages on the chakras are cultural reference sheets: they present the modern system as what it is, with its colour and stone associations, without any promise of results.
Frequently asked questions
Do chakras exist?
They exist as symbolic representations in Indian traditions, used for meditation and yoga. No scientific evidence shows that they exist as structures of the body.
How many chakras are there?
It depends on the tradition. Indian texts describe between four and seven main chakras, sometimes many more. The system of seven coloured chakras is mostly that of the modern West.
Are the chakra colours ancient?
No. The rainbow colours associated with the seven chakras appear together only in 1977, according to historian Kurt Leland. Indian texts describe other hues.
Can each chakra be associated with a stone?
It is a modern practice based on colour correspondence. It is not in the Indian texts, and the lists vary. It can be used as a symbolic game.
Who popularised the chakras in the West?
John Woodroffe (The Serpent Power, 1919), Charles W. Leadbeater (1927), then authors such as Christopher Hills (1977) and Anodea Judith (1987).
Can I rebalance my chakras to feel better?
No evidence shows this. Practices such as breathing or meditation may calm you, but a health problem should be followed by a professional.
Also read
The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Major topics.