Viswakarma

Lord Viswakarma, (Sanskrit: विश्वकर्मा ) the "Principal Universal Architect", the architect who fabricated and designed the divine architecture of the Universe at the behest of Brahma, the Lord of Creation.

In Hindu mythology, Viswakarma is considered as the Divine Architect. He is called 'Devashilpi' or 'The Architect of Gods' . His mother was Yogasiddha, sister of Brihaspati. His father was Prabhas, the eighth hermit of the legendary Astam Basu. The Rig Veda describes Viswakarma as the god with multi-dimensional vision and supreme strength. He is able to predict well in advance in which direction his creation will move.

According to mythology it is Viswakarma who created the entire universe as well as the heaven and the earth. Viswakarma is also credited for creating the missiles used in the mythological era, including the Vajra the sacred weapon of Lord Indra, from the bones of sage Dadhichi. He is regarded as the supreme worker, the very essence of excellence and quality in craftsmanship. Viswakarma is the divine architect of the whole universe. He has four hands, carrying a water-pot, a book, a noose [This divine attribute is also known as a snare, lasso and noose and is also an attribute of Ganesha.] and craftsman's tools.

In today's world, the descendants of Lord Viswakarma are believed to traditionally engage in creative craftmanships such as goldsmithy, blacksmithy, carpentry, sculpting etc. However, many such descendents have long abandoned such filial occupations and have ventured into more modern professions.

Vishwakarma's Architectural Wonders

Hindu mythology is full of Vishwakarma's many architectural wonders. Through the four 'yugas', he had built several towns and palaces for the gods. In "Satya yuga", he built the Swarga Loka, or heaven, the abode of the gods and demigods where Lord Indra rules. Viswakarma then built the 'Sone ki Lanka' in "Treta yuga", the city of Dwaraka in "Dwapara yuga", and Hastinapur and Indraprastha in the "Kali yuga".

Sone Ki(of Gold) LankaAccording to Hindu mythology, 'Sone ki Lanka' or Golden Lanka was the place where the demon king Ravana dwelled in the "Treta yuga." As we read in the epic story Ramayana, this was also the place where Ravana kept Sita, Lord Ram's wife as a hostage. There is also a story behind the construction of Golden Lanka. When Lord Shiva married Parvati, he asked Viswakarma to build a beautiful palace for them to reside. Viswakarma put up a palace made of gold! For the housewarming ceremony, Shiva invited the wise Ravana to perform the "Grihapravesh" ritual. After the sacred ceremony when Shiva asked Ravana to ask anything in return as "Dakshina", Ravana, overwhelmed with the beauty and grandeur of the palace, asked Shiva for the golden palace itself! Shiva was obliged to accede to Ravana's wish, and the Golden Lanka became Ravana's palace. Again, the traditional sources point to Maya as the architect and his daughter Mandodri married Ravana.

DwarkaAmong the many mythical towns Viswakarma built is Dwarka, the capital of Lord Krishna. During the time of the Mahabharata, Lord Krishna is said to have lived in Dwarka, and made it his "Karma Bhoomi" or center of operation. That is why this place in northern India has become a well known pilgrimage for the Hindus.

HastinapurIn the present "Kali Yuga", Viswakarma is said to have built the town of Hastinapur, the capital of Kauravas and Pandavas, the warring families of the Mahabharata. After winning the battle of Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna installed Dharmaraj Yudhisthir as the ruler of Hastinapur. This is a local legend not borne out by Mahabharata.

IndraprasthaViswakarma also built the town of Indraprastha for the Pandavas. In Mahabharata, the creator is Maya, the other divine architect. The Mahabharata has it that King Dhritrashtra offered a piece of land called 'Khaandavprastha' to the Pandavas for living. Yudhishtir obeyed his uncle's order and went to live in Khaandavprastha with the Pandava brothers. Later, Lord Krishna invited Viswakarma to build a capital for the Pandavas on this land, which he renamed 'Indraprastha'. Legends tell us about the architectural marvel and beauty of Indraprastha. Floors of the palace were so well done that they had a reflection like that of water, and the pools and ponds inside the palace gave the illusion of a flat surface with no water in them. After the palace was built, the Pandavas invited the Kauravas, and Duryodhan and his brothers went to visit Indraprastha. Not knowing the wonders of the palace, Duryodhan was flummoxed by the floors and the pools, and fell into one of the ponds. The maids of the Pandava wife Draupadi, who witnessed this scene, had a good laugh! This insult from the maids of Draupadi annoyed Duryodhan so much that later on it became a major cause for the great war of Kurukshetra described in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita.

Sub section of Viswakarma in Tamilnadu:

In Tamilnadu, Viswakarmas are called in different names - Kammalar ,Viswakarma, Viswakarmala (Viswakarma, Viswarkarmala (including Thattar, Porkollar, Kannar, Karumar, Kollar, Thacher, Kal Thacher, Kamsala and Viswabrahmin. In addition, their names are varied from region to region. In Thanjavur area, Viswakarmas are being called as Paththar. In South, they are being called as AAsari.

In South, under porkollar division, some sub section also there. Viswakarma Manattu Vahuppu is one among them. It is further subdivided into different subsects based on their worshipping the family god. The families who worship the same family God, needed not marry the girl or boy within the group worshipping the same family god because the entire group is treated as brothers. They worship their family god either during Mahasivarathiri day or Panguni uthiram day or Chithirai Month 18th day.

Notes

ee also

Sri Potuluri Veera Brahmendra Swami* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Potuluri_Veera_Brahmendra_Swami]

References

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:BalanceRestored/Notepad#Veda_written_by_the_Sons_of_Vishwakarma
* [http://viswakarma.googlepages.com Viswakarma community website]
* [http://www.vishwakarmaworld.com Gurjar Suthar Community Website]
* [http://www.viswakarma.info Community Website since 2005]

Viswakarma.info [http://www.viswakarma.info Viswakarma community site]
* [http://vishwakala.org/ Viswakarma - India Art, Architecture, History and Culture Study Project]