Hinduism celebrates lots of gods. With so many gods, it is natural that you won’t know all of them. But there are a few lesser-known yet pretty important ones. One among them that you should know about is Vishwakarma. He is the chief craftsman deity and the divine architect of the devas in contemporary Hinduism. He is regarded as the god of creation, the creator of the world, and considered Swayamprabhu as well. To celebrate him, Vishwakarma Puja is celebrated every year in India and across the world.
He is believed to be the ultimate creator and the divine architect of the universe. The term Visvakarman was originally used as an epithet for any supreme god. It was also used as an attribute of Indra God and the Sun. In the earlier Hindu texts, the craftsman deity was known as Tvastar. But later on, Visvakarma became the name of the craftsman god. He is believed to be the son of Brahma but in Mahabharata and Harivansha, he is the son of Vasu Prabhasa and Yoga-Siddha. In Puranas however, he is the son of Vastu.
Being the divine architect and ultimate creator, it is believed, he has crafted all the chariots of the devas and weapons including Vajra of the god Indra. He has also built various cities such as Dvaraka, the gold city of Lord Krishna along with creating Indraprastha as well. One interesting fact is that he also built the gold palace of Ravana in Lanka. His name is mentioned five times in the tenth book of the Rigveda and according to it, Vishwakarma is the personification of ultimate reality, the abstract creative power inherent in deities, living and non-living beings in this universe.
It is the day to celebrate and worship the ultimate creator and divine architect of the universe who built castles and weapons for gods. The day generally falls on the Kanya Sankranti of the Hindu Calendar. According to the Gregorian Calendar, it falls every year between 16 to 18 September. An interesting trivia is that the Vishwakarma Puja is also celebrated with much enthusiasm in Nepal as well. In India, the industrial area of Haldia in West Bengal is particularly famous for its Vishwakarma celebration.
It is primarily celebrated in factories and industrial areas. Lord Vishwakarma is the presiding deity of all craftsmen and architects. Engineering, craftsman, artisans, mechanics, Smiths, welders, and all trades and professions where people handle metal and are more hands-on celebrate this day as a mark of reverence. They pray for a better future, safe working conditions, and above all, prosperity and success. It is believed that Lord Vishwakarma blesses those who pay respect and workshop their tools and remain true to their work. People give their tools and machinery a rest day. They clean them and repair any broken machines as well. Along with this, a special puja for worshiping Lord Vishwakarma is observed. People pray and chant holy mantras to worship Lord Vishwakarma. They offer sweets which are later distributed. On the day of Vishwakarma Jayanti, people give rest to their tools as a sign of respect and reverence.
An interesting thing to know about Vishwakarma Puja is that his followers believed that he didn’t have a birthday like a mere mortal; instead, he had a commemorative day in which all his five children came together to declare their solidarity and pray to their illustrious father.
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