subject: Vishwakarma, The Hindu God Of Architecture [print this page] For architects and artisans, the reigning deity is Lord Vishwakarma who is the son of the creator, Brahma. He is considered the holy draftsman of all the things in the universe and other palaces of the gods. He also designs flying chariots and weapons of other gods.
Based on the epic, Mahabharata, he is the originator of millions of handicrafts, lord of arts, the fashioner of ornaments, carpenter of gods, and the most eminent of all artisans. Vishwakarma depicted in his many types of wallpaper as having four hands and someone who wears a crown. He also has lots of golden jewelry while his hands would hold on to craftsman tools, a noose, a book and a water pot.
His devotees offer the days of September 16 and 17 to him and regard him as the god of engineering and architecture. This event is called the Vishwakarma Puja and is the pledging of other craftsmen and workers that they will be more productive than before. They also believe that during this time, they will be blessed with divine inspiration and create novel products. Flying colorful kites is also part of this celebration. Furthermore, this also marks the beginning of a very festive season, which ends in the Diwali.
There are many divine works that Vishwakarma is known to have made. One of them is the Golden Lanka where Ravana, the demon king, resides. Based on the eipc, Ramayana, this was where he kept Sita hostage as he tried to persuade her to marry him. Did you know that Lord Shiva actually owned the palace first? When he married Parvati, he asked the divine architect to make a castle for them to live in. The lord then made a great palace of gold! When Shiva asked Ravana to perform a ritual for the housewarming celebration, he asked the demon king what he wanted in return. Ravana was very amazed with the golden palace and told Shiva that he wanted it for himself! Shiva could not go back on his word so he gave it to the demon king.
Another town built by this divine god was the mystical ton of Dwarka, which considered Lord Krishna capital and recognized as his "headquarters". Hastipanur, capital of Pandavas and Kauravas who are the warring families in the epic Mahabharata, is another town that he made. He also built Indarapastra especially for the Pandavas. His many wonderful creations are what made him the god of architecture.
