Vishvakarma

Vishvakarma, in Hinduism, the architect and craftsman of the gods and the patron god of craftsmen. The name Vishvakarma (Sanskrit: “All-Maker”) in Vedic religion was used as an epithet of any powerful god but later came to personify creative power and the ability to build physical objects. In two hymns in the Rig Veda, Vishvakarma is identified as the god responsible for the creation of the universe, and he is analogized to a smith and carpenter as well as a Vedic priest. However, that role of universal creator is ascribed to Brahma in later texts of the Sanskrit epics and Puranas, whereas Vishvakarma is therein identified as the divine carpenter and master craftsman who fashions the weapons of the gods and builds their cities and chariots. He is the patron deity of workers, artisans, and artists, and he is regarded as the god who makes possible all craftsmanship, from local handicrafts to modern industry. Vishvakarma is celebrated in India, particularly on the holiday of Vishvakarma Puja, which typically involves the worship of tools of the trades.

Creations

Hindu mythology considers Vishvakarma to be the son of Prabhasa, one of the eight Vasus, a grouping of deities associated with nature. In mythological accounts of the epics—the Mahabharata and the Ramayana—and the Puranas, whenever the Hindu gods need something constructed, they call upon Vishvakarma for his architectural and technical skills. Throughout various stories he is mentioned as making various jewels and weapons, as well as jeweled weapons, for the gods.

His most notable constructions in the Ramayana include the mythical city of Lanka, ruled by the demon (rakshasa) Ravana. In the Uttarakanda (the seventh book of the Ramayana) Vishvakarma says he has built the city on a mountain at the instruction of Shiva, but he gives it to the troublesome rakshasas. He also builds the monkeys’ city of Kishkindha. He fashions for the god of wealth Kubera the special vimana—a flying palace or aerial car in Hindu mythology—called Pushpaka (“Little Flower”), which is stolen by Ravana and later captured by Rama. Vishvakarma’s son Nala is one of the monkeys in the epic and serves as the architect who assists Rama and his allies in building a bridge (called the Rama Sethu) to Lanka.

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In the Mahabharata Vishvakarma, along with Maya (the personification of the divine ability to craft illusions), builds the city of Indraprastha for the protagonist Pandavas. (The Bhagavata Purana attributes the city’s construction more explicitly to Vishvakarma.) The modern city of Delhi is often said to be on the site of Indraprastha. He also constructs the seaside capital city Dwarka for the god Krishna. In a myth told in the first book of the Mahabharata, Vishvakarma fashions a beguilingly beautiful apsaras (nymph), Tilottama, to help the gods defeat the asuras (demons) Sunda and Upasunda—they kill each other fighting over her.

For the gods in general, he fashions heaven (svarga). He also forges weapons for them, such as Shiva’s trident (trishula) and Vishnu’s discus (sudarshana chakra). He makes Indra’s vajra (thunderbolt) from the bones of the sage Dadhichi to defeat Vritra, a serpentine enemy of the gods who hoards the rain. He donates an axe to Durga for her defeat of the demon Mahishasura. Vishvakarma is also said to be the craftsman of the giant wooden statues (murtis) of Jagannatha and his siblings, which are revered at Puri, Odisha, and are annually paraded in the massive Rathayatra festival.

In addition to his physical constructions, tradition attributes to Vishvakarma or at least associates with him the composition of texts about South Asian architecture (Shilpashastras and Vastushastras), such as Vishvakarma Prakasha, Vishvakarma Shilpa, and Vishvakarma Vastushastra.

In Buddhism

Vishvakarma is predominantly a Hindu deity, but he also appears in Buddhist texts such as the Jatakas—tales of Buddha’s past births—where he erects palaces for the Buddha-to-be. In the complex of rock-cut cave temples at Ellora, the cave called Vishvakarma Cave or cave 10 (built about 700 ce) houses a majestic, larger-than-life statue of the Buddha.

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Social and industrial significance

Vishvakarma is said to have sons who assist in his work and represent specific crafts. Some sources mention five sons and others mention an additional nine. Specific categories of craftsmen are said to be descended from those sons, thus creating a lineage to the god that corresponds to hereditary occupational castes. Most lists of the five sons and the artisan communities descended from them mention blacksmiths, brass workers, goldsmiths, sculptors, and carpenters. The list of Vishvakarma’s craftsman sons is malleable, and in some locales it is expanded to include architects, masons, painters, garland-makers, mother-of-pearl polishers, and weavers.

In modern industrialized India, the association of Vishvakarma with skilled artisan work encompasses new industries, such as jute mills, steel work, machinery, shipyard work, railways, printing presses, electrical or water utilities, and other labor-oriented mechanical and construction trades. Vishvakarma in this context is not merely a craftsman but sometimes referred to as an engineer. Some tradespeople in modern India who associate themselves with Vishvakarma see their trade as partaking in creation analogous to the creation of the universe—connecting with the god’s earlier Vedic role—or collaborating as sons of Vishvakarma.

Worship and holidays

Vishvakarma, in his earliest manifestations as the object of reverence, was possibly worshipped in the form of tools. He later was imbued with anthropomorphic imagery in different forms across India. In some iconography, especially in western and northwestern regions, he is white-bearded, grandfatherly, and accompanied by a goose or swan—a clear affiliation with Brahma, the creator god. In eastern India he is often young, muscular, and mustachioed and appears with an elephant. In southern India he is frequently depicted alongside the goddess Gayatri (personification of the Gayatri mantra) with 5 clean-shaven faces and 10 arms. Imagery of Vishvakarma often includes various tools and construction texts in his hands.

Workers worship Vishvakarma in various ways, including puja offerings to tools, to the deity, or by arraying tools around an image of him and performing puja. They pray for the functionality of the tools, for safety in their work, and for the success of their work. Holidays for Vishvakarma also vary in different parts of India, although they have become increasingly nationalized. In eastern India September 17 is considered Vishvakarma Jayanti (Vishvakarma’s birthday) or Vishvakarma Puja. It was previously aligned to the last day of the month of Bhadra on the lunar Hindu calendar but has been fixed to the solar calendar. Along with worship of tools, this holiday is celebrated with kite flying.

In western India Vishvakarma Jayanti is on the 13th day of Magh (January/February), usually falling in the middle of February. In northern India Vishvakarma’s special day is the fourth day of Diwali—the day after the pinnacle of the festival—in October or November. On this day craftsman devotees worship and wash their tools and also make offerings to their patron deity.