Vishwakarma Puja / Vishwakarma Jayanti / Vishwakarma Day (God of Architecture)

Visvakarma (God of Architecture)

Vishwakarma Jayanti is a day of celebration for Vishwakarma, a Hindu god, the divine architect. He is considered as swayambhu and creator of the world. He constructed the holy city of Dwarka where Krishna ruled, the Maya Sabha of the Pandavas, and was the creator of many fabulous weapons for the gods. He is also called the divine carpenter, is mentioned in the Rig Veda, and is credited with Sthapatya Veda, the science of mechanics and architecture.

Also Called: Vishwakarma Day | Vishwakarma Puja
Observed by: Assam | Bihar | Jharkhand | Karnataka | Odisha | Tripura | Uttar Pradesh | West Bengal
Type: Hindu
Celebrations: Vishwakarma Puja
Date: Kanya Sankranti | Last day of Bhadra (16/17 September)
Frequency: annual

Lord Krishna in the Golden City Dwarka built by Viswakarma

Lord Krishna in the Golden City from the Harivamsha (Geneology of Vishnu) Opaque watercolor and gold on paper H: 34.9 W: 23.2 cm India

The painting represents the mythical city of Dwarka, where the blue-skinned Krishna, an incarnation of the Hindu God Vishnu, is enthroned on a golden palace and surrounded by his kinsmen. A pastoral scene in the foreground evokes a familiar village setting and a sense that the gods are present in everyday life. This manuscript was painted for the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556–1605) who was quite interested in other religions. Akbar had translations made of major Hindu texts, including the Sanskrit epic the Mahabharata (Great Story of the Bharatas), known in its Persian translation as Razmnama (Book of Wars). This page is from a section appended to the Razmnama known as the Harivamsa (Genealogy of Vishnu), which narrates the life of Krishna.

It falls on 'Kanya Sankranti' of the Hindu Calendar. It is generally celebrated every year on gregorean date of 16 or 19 September which is on the last day of the Indian Bhado month, in the Solar calendar. Solar Calendar observed by states such as Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Tripura. The festival is also celebrated in its neighboring country Nepal.

The festival is observed primarily in factories and industrial areas, often on the shop floor. As a mark of reverence, the day of worship is marked not only by the engineering and architectural community but by artisans, craftsmen, mechanics, smiths, welders, industrial workers, factory workers, and others. They pray for a better future, safe working conditions, and, above all, success in their respective fields. Workers also pray for the smooth functioning of various machines.

Vishwakarma puja is also celebrated a day after Diwali, along with Govardhan Puja in October–November.

Since Vishwakarma is the divine engineer of the world, as a mark of reverence, he is not only worshiped by the engineering and architectural community but also by all professionals. It is customary for craftsmen to worship their tools in his name.

Silly Vishwakarma is attributed to a putative birthday by the Hindu religion. The more philosophical minded argue that it is impossible for the original Creator of everything to be born on a particular day. In Rig Veda, he is described as Swayambhu So it is a contradiction in terms since that presupposes another creator for Vishwakarma. The Vishwakarma Puja is celebrated in all parts of Nepal and India.

Even among those who believe that there is a birthday, there is no agreement as to when it actually occurs. Visvakarma birthday is celebrated on two days under different names:

Vishwakarma Puja: "Vishwakarma Puja" always celebrated in India on 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 Vishwakarma 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 and changes with every year. The five groups among the Vishwakarma community also celebrate this as an auspicious day in commemoration of their patron god at present.
Visvakarma Jayanthi: Vishwakarma Jayanthi is celebrated by all industrial houses, artists, craftsmen, and weavers. The Vedic Jayanthi is celebrated on Magha Shukla Trayodashi is celebrated culturally. The festival is observed on Kanya Sankranti (16 September in 2016) which follows the Ganesh Puja. It was on this particular day that the forefathers of the present Visvakarma people invented the plough and gave it to humanity. The plough represents both the artisan trade as well as agriculture and therefore becomes the representative symbol of the ancient Indian civilization. It changed the course of human history altogether. This was a change from ‘local mob culture to universal human culture’ and Vishwakarmas of India pioneered it. Coincidentally, this also becomes the birthday of Rsi/Silpi Visvakarma. So, Indians in the past celebrated this day of many illustrious conjunctions as an occasion to honor Vishwakarma and his descendants.

Vishvakarman is a particular god of Hindu railwaymen in India.