Vishwakarma Puja 2020: Date, time and significance of festival worshipping 'divine architect' of gods

The architect of the Gods or the divine architect, Lord Vishwakarma is worshipped on the last day of Bhadra, also known as Bhadra Sankranti or Kanya Sankranti. In 2020, Vishwakarma Jayanti is being observed on 16 September. Lord Vishwakarma and myths surrounding him The son of Vastu Dev and Goddess Angisri, he is the god of craftsmen and creators. It was Lord Vishwakarma who helped Brahma create the universe and make a map of the entire world. As per mythology, Lord Vishwakarma constructed the holy city of Dwarka which Lord Krishna ruled. Fearing attack from Jarasangh and Kaalayvan on Mathura, Shri Krishna and Yadavas left Mathura and arrived at the coast of Saurashtra. Once they reached the coast, Lord Krishna worshipped Samudradev, who, pleased with his prayers, gave them land measuring 12 yojans. Lord Vishwakarma build Dwarka, a “city in gold” at this place. Yet another legend ties the divine architect with Lord Jagannath in Odisha. According to legends, when King Indradyumna wanted to install the idols of Lord Vishnu in the temple, Vishwakarma came to the king in the garb of an old man and said he could turn the log the king had found into the desired image, provided he was allowed to work without any disturbance. Lord Vishwakarma just had one condition that he should not be disturbed or else he would leave creating the idols midway. However, the king could not control himself and opened the doors of the workshop. Vishwakarma disappeared and the king was left with the three incomplete idols of Krishna, Balaram and Subhadra. Lord Vishwakarma is also credited with creating the Maya Sabha for the Pandavas. In Rig Veda, he is credited with Sthapatya Veda, the science of mechanics and architecture. Vishwakarma Puja timing Vishwakarma Puja celebrations are done according to Bisuddhasidhanta. As per Drikpanchang, this year Vishwakarma Puja Sankranti starts at 7.23 pm on 16 September. The festival is primarily celebrated in factories and industrial areas, as well as shops. The festival is celebrated by engineers, architects, mechanics and others. Idols and images of the God are installed in temples and marquees and devotees have to wake early, take a bath and put on clean clothes to do the puja. It is also celebrated a day after Diwali, along with Govardhan puja in certain parts of India. Here’s why Vishwakarma Puja falls almost on the same day every year Mainly celebrated in the Eastern part of the country in states such as Assam, Tripura, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand, Vishwakarma Puja is observed on the same day as per the Gregorian calendar. This is because Vishwakarma Puja is determined as per the Solar calendar whereas the other festival dates are fixed based on the Lunar calendar.