Bhaktisandesam / Lord Vishwakarma

[Guest guest]

Vishwakarma & Mythical Buildings

The Divine Draftsman & His Architectural Marvels

================================================

 

 

Lord Vishwakarma is the presiding deity of all craftsmen and

architects. Son of Brahma, he is the divine draftsman of the whole

universe, and the official builder of all the gods' palaces.

Vishwakarma is also the designer of all the flying chariots of the

gods, and all their weapons.

 

The Mahabharata describes him as " The lord of the arts, executor of a

thousand handicrafts, the carpenter of the gods, the most eminent of

artisans, the fashioner of all ornaments ... and a great and immortal

god... " He has four hands, wears a crown, loads of gold jewelry, and

holds a water-pot, a book, a noose and craftsman's tools in his hands.

 

Vishwakarma Puja

Hindus widely regard Vishwakarma as the god of architecture and

engineering, and September 17 every year is celebrated as Vishwakarma

Puja — a resolution time for workers and craftsmen to increase

productivity and gain divine inspiration for creating novel products.

This ritual usually takes place within the factory premises or shop

floor, and the otherwise mundane workshops come alive with fiesta.

Vishwakarma Puja is also associated with the buoyant custom of flying

kites. This occasion in a way also marks the start of the festive

season that culminates in Diwali.

 

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 Swarg Loke, or heaven, the

abode of the gods and demigods where Lord Indra rules. Vishwakarma

then built the 'Sone ki Lanka' in " Treta yuga " , the city of Dwarka

in " Dwapar yuga " , and Hastinapur and Indraprastha in the " Kali yuga " .

 

'Sone Ki Lanka'

According 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 Vishwakarma to build a beautiful palace for them to reside.

Vishwakarma 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.

 

Dwarka

Among 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 nothern India has

become a well known pilgrimage for the Hindus.

 

Hastinapur

In the present " Kali Yuga " , Vishwakarma 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.

 

Indraprastha

Vishwakarma also built the town of Indraprastha for the Pandavas. 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 Vishwakarma 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 Pandava wife Draupadi,

who witnessed this scene, had a good laugh! She retorted, hinting at

Duryodhan's father (the blind king Dhritrashtra) " the son of a blind

man is bound to be blind. " This remark 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.

 

 

 

***************************

 

Jai Shree Krishna !