Vishvakarma or Vishvakarman ( sa, विश्वकर्मा, Viśvakarmā, all maker) is a craftsman deity and the divine architect of the devas in contemporary Hinduism. In the early texts, the craftsman deity was known as Tvastar and the word "Vishvakarma" was originally used as an epithet for any powerful deity. However, in many later traditions, Vishvakarma became the name of the craftsman god. Cambogia, vishvakarman, l'architetto divino, periodo angkor, xiii secolo ca

Cambogia, vishvakarman, l'architetto divino, periodo angkor, xiii secolo ca

Vishvakarma crafted all of the chariots of the devas and weapons including the '' Vajra'' of the god

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

. Vishvakarma was related to the sun god

Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a m ...

through his daughter

Samjna ''Saṃjñā'' (Sanskrit; Pali: ''sañña'') is a Buddhist term that is typically translated as "perception" or "cognition." It can be defined as grasping at the distinguishing features or characteristics. ''Samjñā'' has multiple meanings dep ...

. According to the legend, when Samjna left her house due to Surya's energy, Vishvakarma reduced the energy and created various other weapons using it. Vishvakarma also built various cities like

Lanka Lanka (, ) is the name given in Hindu epics to the island fortress capital of the legendary asura king Ravana in the epics of the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata''. The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks known ...

, Dvaraka, and Indraprastha. According to the epic '' Ramayana'', the ''

vanara In Hindu, Vanara ( sa, वानर, , forest-dwellers) are either monkeys, apes, or a race of forest-dwelling people. In the epic the ''Ramayana'', the Vanaras help Rama defeat Ravana. They are generally depicted as humanoid apes, or human-l ...

'' (forest-man or monkey)

Nala Nala (Sanskrit: नल) is a character in the ''Vana Parva'' book of the ''Mahabharata''. He was the king of Nishadha Kingdom and the son of Veerasena. Nala was known for his skill with horses and for his culinary expertise. He married prince ...

was the son of Vishvakarma, created to aid the avatar Rama.

Literature and legends

Vedas

The term Visvakarman was originally used as an epithet for any supreme god and as an attribute of

and the Sun. The name Visvakarman occurs five times in the tenth book of the Rigveda. The two hymns of the Rigveda identify Visvakarman as all-seeing, and having eyes, faces, arms and feet on every side and also has wings. Brahma, the god of creation, who is four-faced and four-armed resembles him in these aspects. He is represented as being the source of all prosperity, swift in his thoughts and titled a seer, priest, and lord of speech. Vishvakarman, the architect of the universe

Vishvakarman, the architect of the universe

According to some parts of the '' Rigveda'', Vishvakarma was the personification of ultimate reality, the abstract creative power inherent in deities, living and non-living being in this universe. He is considered to be the fifth monotheistic God concept: He is both The Architect and The Divine Engineer of The Universe from before the advent of time. The later parts of the Rigveda reveals efforts to find a satisfactory answer to the mysteries regarding the origin of the universe, the creation hymns present in these parts of the Rigveda mention individual creator gods as opposed to the collection of gods and their chiefs (

, Varuna, Agni, etc.) creating the world. In the historical Vedic religion, the role of Vishvakarma as the builder of gods is attributed to Tvastar. Vedic Vishvakarman is identified with

Prajapati Prajapati ( sa, प्रजापति, Prajāpati, lord and protector of creation) is a Vedic deity of Hinduism. In later literature, Prajapati is identified with the creator god Brahma, but the term also connotes many different gods, depe ...

rather than ''Tvaṣṭṛ''. In later mythology, Vishvakarman is sometimes identified with ''Tvaṣṭṛ'' and is a craftsman deity.

Monier-Williams Sir Monier Monier-Williams (; né Williams; 12 November 1819 – 11 April 1899) was a British scholar who was the second Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University, England. He studied, documented and taught Asian languages, especially S ...

(1899) p. 994.

Iconography

Vishvakarma's iconography varies drastically from one region to another, though all picture him with creation tools. In the most popular depiction, he is depicted as an aged and wise man, with four arms. He has white beard and is accompanied by his vahana, '' hamsa'' (goose or swan), which scholars believe that these suggest his association with the creator god Brahma. Usually, he is seated on a throne and his sons standing near him. This form of Vishvakarma is mainly found in the Western and North Western parts of India. Contradictory to the above account, the idols of Vishvakarma in the eastern parts of India depict him as a young muscular man. He has black moustache and is not accompanied by his sons. An elephant is his vahana, suggesting his association with

Brihaspati Brihaspati ( sa, बृहस्पति, ), also known as Guru, is a Hindu deity. In the ancient Vedic scriptures of Hinduism, Brihaspati is a deity associated with fire, and the word also refers to a rishi (sage) who counsels the devas (gods ...

Family

He is often stated to be the son of Brahma, but it differs in many other texts. In the Nirukta and

Brahmana The Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: , ''Brāhmaṇam'') are Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. They are a secondary layer or classification of Sanskrit texts embedded within ea ...

s he is stated to be the son of Bhuvana. In the Mahabharata and

Harivansha The ''Harivamsa'' ( , literally "the genealogy of Hari") is an important work of Sanskrit literature, containing 16,374 shlokas, mostly in the '' anustubh'' metre. The text is also known as the ''Harivamsa Purana.'' This text is believed ...

, he is the son of Vasu Prabhāsa and Yoga-siddhā. In the

Puranas Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

, he is the son of Vāstu. Vishvakarma is the father of three daughters named Barhishmati,

and Chitrangada. In other texts Vishvakarma is presented as the husband of Gritachi. When identified with Tvastar, Vishvakarma is also described to be the father of a son named Vishvarupa.

Vishvakarma Puja

Vishwakarma Temple, Lohgarh, Zirakpur (Near Chandigarh)

Among those who celebrate Vishwakarma's birthday, it is celebrated on two days under different names: * ''Vishvakarma Puja''. "Vishvakarma Puja" always celebrated in India on the 17/18 September of every Year. * ''Rishi Panchami Dinam''. "Rishi Panchami Dinam" literally means ‘the day of the solidarity of five rishis.’ Those who celebrate this day believe that Vishvakarma did not have a birthday like the mortals but only a commemoration day in which his five children (supposedly five ''rishis'') came together to declare their solidarity and pray to their illustrious father. This day follows the rules of the

Hindu calendar The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a s ...

and changes with every year. The five groups among the Vishvakarma community also celebrate this as an auspicious day in commemoration of their patron god at present.Achary, Subramanian Matathinkal (1995).

Bibliography

* Achary, Subramanian Matathinkal (1995): ''Visvakarmajar Rigvedathil'', Sawraj Printing and Publishing Company, Aluva. * Coomaraswamy, Ananda K. Ananda Coomaraswamy (1979): ''Medieval Sinhalese Art'', Pantheon Books Inc., New York. *

(1899)

* Pattanaik, Devdutt Devdutt Pattanaik (2009): ''7 Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art''. Westland, India. . * Padhi, Bibhu & Padhi, Minakshi Bibhu Padhi (1998): ''Indian Philosophy and Religion: A Reader's Guide'' (3rd ed.). D.K. Printworld. . * Borad, Siddharth & Om, Dr. Jayshree (2020): ''The Ancient Science of Vastu''. BlueRose. .

References

External links

Vishvakarma Samaj
Crafts gods Creator gods Hindu gods Buddhist gods Rigvedic deities Smithing gods Characters in the Mahabharata {{DEFAULTSORT:Vishwakarma