Vishwakarma Puja Celebration

Vishwakarma Puja festival is perhaps the only festival celebrated in remembrance of the architect god Vishwakarma. He is the divine craftsman who created all the palaces of gods along with their vehicles and weapons, including Lord Indra's weapon - the Vajra. This festival day, which is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Vishwakarma, is a major festival for artisans and craftsmen and most of the factories and shops remain closed. The celebrations start with the Aarti early in the morning to invoke the craftsman god, asking for his benevolence and inspiration to create and innovate. Usually, this Puja takes place in the factory premises or within the shop. On this day, all artisans and craftsmen worship their tools and keep them in front of the idol of Lord Vishwakarma, so that the divine grace of the god is bestowed upon them.

Vishwakarma Day Celebrations

Only a few people have proper knowledge about this festival, though it is quite a popular one especially in Orissa, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. That's why only few people know that there are two days on which the Vishwakarma Puja is celebrated. The first one is celebrated on 16th or 17th of September and the next takes place exactly a day after the festival of Diwali. Both days are remembered as the birth day of lord Vishwakarma. The two days on which this Puja is celebrated are:

Rishi Panchami Dinam
It is celebrated on the next day of Diwali. The literal meaning of this day is the day of solidarity of five rishis (sages). This day is celebrated by the followers who believe that this day is not the birthday of Lord Vishwakarma, as according to their belief, a god is immortal and hence cannot die or take birth. According to the myth, this is the day when the five sons of Lord Vishwakarma came together and invoked their father; the day is celebrated in commemoration of that event. As it is celebrated according to the Hindu lunisolar calendar, it is celebrated on different dates every year.

Viswakarma Jayanti
Between the two days of Vishwakarma Puja celebration, this is the day which is more popular among the Hindus who celebrate it with pomp and show. It is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Vishwakarma and is observed on 17th September every year. This day is also commemorated as the day when Vishwakarma people crafted and gifted the plough to humanity. The plough gradually gave birth to civilization as the wanderers became cultivators and later these cultivators settled down to form society and civilization. So this day is celebrated to commemorate Lord Vishwakarma as well as to honor the early Vishwakarma people.