Vishwakarma Jayanti is being
celebrated across the nation on Wednesday. The day marks the birth of Hindu God
Vishwakarma, the Devshilpi, or 'architect of the gods'. The festival is
celebrated primarily in Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam,
Jharkhand, Bihar, Tripura, and Odisha.
The day is calculated as per the
'Bisuddhasidhanta', and on the last day of Bengali Bhadra month, it is
celebrated as 'Biswakarma Puja' in the eastern states of India like Odisha,
West Bengal, Jharkhand and Tripura. In many places, it is known as 'Kanya
Sankranti' or 'Bhadra Sankranti'. Vishwakarma Puja falls on the last day of the
Bengali month Bhadra which is also known as Bhadra Sankranti or Kanya
Sankranti.
Mythology
According to Hindu mythology, Lord
Vishwakarma created the entire universe as well as heaven and earth. He also
crafted the sacred weapons and chariots of all the gods. Vishwakarma is also
known as the lord of engineers, artisans and craftsmen.
In the earliest days, Vishwakarma
was used to be another name of Brahma. The story behind the universe was indeed
being created away from the navel mirrors of Lord Vishwakarma which shows that
Brahma was creating the universe. Later on, the name was used to credit other
gods too. Vishwakarma has been considered as a divine architect only in the
Puranas which come later in Hindu chronology. He is known for building the
Heaven (Swarga) and the city of Dwarka, ruled by Lord Krishna. All the
architects, artisans and engineers worship him as the deity of their craft and
trade.
Celebration
Owners of shops, factories, offices and other professional establishments generally organise pujas at their workplaces. These places are exquisitely decorated with flowers. Lord Vishwakarma and His 'Vahan' (vehicle), the elephant is worshipped. His deity is installed in decorative pandals where the main puja ceremonies are conducted.