According to Hinduism, Vishwakarma is a deity of craftsmanship and a divine architect. He is believed to have crafted all the chariots and weapons of other deities, including ‘Vajra’ of the deity king Indra. It is also believed that he was the architect of various cities such as ‘Lanka’, ‘Dwarka’ and ‘Indraprastha’. However, it’s not very clear whether Vishwakarma was an individual or a role. In different texts such as Brahmanas, Mahabharat, and Puranas, his parent names are different which indicates that it could be possibly a role among deities. In the epic ‘Ramayan’ the character ‘Nala’ an aide of Lord Ram is mentioned as a son of Vishwakarma.
In ancient texts, the oldest references to Vishwakarma are found in Rigveda where he is mentioned as an all-seeing and with wings deity. Vishwakarma Jayanti is celebrated twice under different names, first on 17/18th September and another one on ‘Rishi Panchami’ as per the Indian calendar.
