Viswakarmas in different states

While many sources refer to the five sub-groups of the Viskwakarma as artisans, Ramaswamy believes that the Vishwakarma of the medieval period should be distinguished as craftsmen, arguing that "... while every craftsman was an artisan, every artisan was not a craftsman". Ramaswamy notes that the socio-economic and geographic stability of a medieval village-based maker of ploughs differed considerably from that of the various people who banded together as Vishwakarma and lived a relatively itinerant lifestyle that was dependent on the "temple economy" that waxed and waned as dynasties such as the Vijayanagar empire were formed and disintegrated. The latter group, who did work in proximity to each other while constructing and embellishing temples, had opportunities for socio-economic advancement but also bore the risks of withdrawal of patronage and changes in religious focus.[4]

Vishwakarma or the Vishwa Brahmin caste is used in India for the class of engineers, architects, sculptors, temple builders, and artists. Generally the term Vishwakarma caste is used for five classes of people namely the gold-smiths, the black-smiths, the copper-smith, the carpenter and the sculptors. In India there are several sub-divisions of the Vishwakarma caste in the different regions.

In Tamil Nadu the people belonging to Vishwakarma caste are known by the name Kamaalar or Aachari or Aasaari. They are engaged in various occupations like gold-smiths, iron-smiths, carpenters and stone masons.

In Andhra Pradesh also the Vishwakarmis have been subdivided into a number of groups namely the gold-smiths, black-smiths, brass-smiths, carpenters and the stone masons. In Andhra Pradesh they also have territorial sub divisions as well. They are Murikinadu, Pakinadu, Dravida and a lot more. These people of Andhra Pradesh claim the status of Brahmins and follow similar customs as that of the Brahmins.

In the state of Kerala there are four divisions of the Vishwakarmis. The divisions are namely carpenters, braziers, gold-smiths and black-smiths. In Karnataka also the Vishwakarma caste is divided into several subdivisions. The sub-divisions are iron-smiths, carpenters, gold-smiths, sculptors and a lot more. The Vishwakarmi sub-caste in Karnataka does not inter-marry with each other. Some of them follow the religion of Lingayatism and the Brahmin culture.

The other states of India also have a number of Vishwakarmi population and all of them are black smiths, gold-smiths, copper-smiths, brass-smiths, carpenter, sculptor, stone-masons and a lot more.

Tradition says that the Vishwakarmi castes are sub-divided according to the name of the sons of Vishwakarma. The sons of Lord Vishwakarma were Manu, Maya, Thwastha, Silpi and Vishvajnya. People belonging to the Manu cast are black-smiths; those of the Manu group are carpenters. The metal craftsmen are known as Thwastha and those who are called gold-smiths are called by the name Vishvajnya.

The Vishwakarmi castes have been sub-divided into five gotras each corresponding to the name of a Rishi which has been mentioned in the Yajur Veda. The five gotras of the Vishwakarmi are namely Sanagasya Manu, Sanatanasya Maya, Abhuvanasya Tvashta, Pratanansya Silpi and Suparnasya Vishvajna. The five gotras of the Vishwakarmis are again sub-divided into twentyfive sub-clans.

The contribution of the Vishwakarmis to Hindu art and architecture is immense. The University of Nalanda has been an architectural marvel for ages together as also the iron pillars of Delhi. At the same time Hindu Architecture as well as Buddhist Architecture represents great contributions of the Vishwakarmis.

The Konark Temple, the Ajanta Caves, the Ellora Caves, the caves of Mahabalipuram, the rock cut architecture of India and many other constructions of India reflect as to how the members of the Vishwakarmi caste List of Vishwakarma

Pillars of Indian Culture and Civilization

The Vishwakarma Brahmins have contributed greatly to Indian civilization and culture as temple and city builders, architects, engineers and artists. Without their immense contribution, Indian civilization would be very poor indeed. Contribution of Vishwakarma Brahmins to Indian culture and civilization:

1) Nalanda - Vishwakarma Brahmins built this giant educational complex accommodating over 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers. The university was considered an architectural masterpiece, and was marked by a lofty wall and one gate. Nalanda had eight separate compounds and ten temples, along with many other meditation halls and classrooms. On the grounds were lakes and parks. The library was located in a nine storied building where meticulous copies of texts were produced. The subjects taught at Nalanda University covered every field of learning, and it attracted pupils and scholars from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia and Turkey.

2) Iron pillar of Delhi - The pillar is made up of 98% wrought iron of pure quality, and is a testament to the high level of skill achieved by ancient Indian iron smiths in the extraction and processing of iron. It has attracted the attention of archaeologists and metallurgists as it has withstood corrosion for the last 1600 years, despite harsh weather.

3) Indus Valley civilization - The earliest known civilization in the Indo-Pak region of South Asia was the Indus Valley Civilization, comprising many urban settlements, including the large cities of Harrappa and Mohenjo Daro, and characterised by a variety of house types, many of which had private baths connected to public drainage systems. The cities consisted of a citadel raised above residential and production districts with streets laid out in a grid plan and lined by drains.The uniformity in urban layouts, house typologies and sizes as well as construction methods of the standard kiln-fired bricks, is evidence of significant social and political co-ordination.

4) Hindu architecture - A basic Hindu temple consists of an inner sanctum, the garbha griha or womb-chamber, in which the image is housed, often with space for its circumambulation, a congregation hall, and possibly an antechamber and porch. The sanctum is crowned by a tower-like shikara. At the turn of the first millennium CE two major types of temples existed, the northern or Nagara style and the southern or Dravida type of temple. They are distinguishable by the shape and decoration of their shikharas.

5) Buddhist and Jain architecture - Viharas (Buddhist monasteries) began to appear soon after the death of the Buddha, particularly during the Mauryan Empire (321 - 232 B.C) with characteristic stupa monuments; and chaityas (meditation halls housing a stupa). The same period saw the beginning of stone architecture, evidenced by palace remains at Pataliputra as well as the Ashoka Stambha - the monolithic free-standing columns inscribed with edicts put up by the Emperor Ashoka. The Ashokan period is also marked for the introduction of brilliant rock-cut architecture, which formed into the 1000-year-long tradition of cutting and sculpting vast, complex and multi-roomed shrines into natural rock, resulting in religious edifices belonging to Ajivika Buddhist, Hindu and Jain faiths.

6) South Indian architecture - South Indian architecture was a style of architecture that emerged thousands of years ago in the Indian subcontinent. They consist primarily of pyramid shaped temples which are dependent on intricate carved stone in order to create a step design consisting of numerous statues of deities, kings, and dancers.

7) Konark Sun Temple - Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century Sun Temple (also known as the Black Pagoda), at Konark, in Orissa. It was built in red sandstone (Khandolite) and black granite by King Narasimhadeva I (AD 1236-1264) of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is one of the most well renowned temples in India and is a World Heritage Site.

8) Vastu Shastra - Vishwakarmas are the creators of this ancient Indian system of architectural design that has gained national and international respect and following. Vaastu Shastra deals with various aspects of designing and building living environments that are in harmony with the physical and metaphysical forces.

9) Mahabodhi Temple - The Mahabodhi Temple (Literally: "Great Awakening Temple") is a Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, the location where Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, attained enlightenment. Bodh Gaya is located about 96 km (60 miles) from Patna, Bihar state, India.

10) Indian rock-cut architecture - Indian rock-cut architecture is more various and found in greater abundance than any other form of rock-cut architecture around the world.

11) Ellora Caves - Ellora represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture.The 34 "caves" – Buddhist, Hindu and Jain temples and monasteries excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills – were built between the 5th century and 10th century. The 12 Buddhist (caves 1-12), 17 Hindu (caves 13-29) and 5 Jain caves (caves 30-34), built in proximity, demonstrate the religious harmony prevalent during this period of Indian history.

12) Ajanta Caves - Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India are rock-cut cave monuments dating from the second century BCE, containing paintings and sculpture considered to be masterpieces of both "Buddhist religious art" and "universal pictorial art". Since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

13) Mahabalipuram - The monuments are mostly rock-cut and monolithic, and constitute the early stages of Dravidian architecture wherein Buddhist elements of design are prominently visible. They are constituted by cave temples, monolithic rathas (chariots), sculpted reliefs and structural temples. The pillars are of the Dravidian order. The sculptures are excellent examples of Pallava art. It is believed that this area served as a school for young sculptors. The different sculptures, some half finished, may have been examples of different styles of architecture, probably demonstrated by instructors and practiced on by young students. This can be seen in the Pancha Rathas where each Ratha is sculpted in a different style.

14) Badami Cave Temples - The Badami Cave Temples are composed of four caves, all carved out of the soft Badami sandstone on a hill cliff in the late 6th century. The four caves are simple in style. The entrance is a verandah with stone columns and brackets, a distinctive feature of these caves, leading to a columned mantapa and then to the small square shrine (sanctum sanctorum) cut deep into the cave. The temple caves represent different religious sects. Among them, two are dedicated to Lord Vishnu, one to Lord Shiva and the fourth is a Jain temple. The first three are devoted to the Vedic faith and the fourth cave is the only Jain temple at Badami.

15) Pancha Rathas - Pancha Rathas an example of monolith Indian rock-cut architecture dating from the late 7th century located at Mamallapuram, a tiny village south of Madras in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The village was a busy port during the 7th and 8th century reign of the Pallava dynasty. The site is famous for the rock-cut caves and the sculptured rock that line a granite hill, including one depicting Arjuna's Penance. It has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Pancha Rathas shrines were carved during the reign of King Mahendravarman I and his son Narasimhavarman I. Each temple is a monolith, carved whole from a rock outcropping of pink granite. The five monolithic pyramidal structured shrines are named after the Pandavas (Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishtra, Nakula and Sahadeva) and Draupadi. As noted, each shrine is not assembled from cut rock but carved from one single large piece of stone. It is likely their original design traces back to wood constructions.

16) Indian art -The vast scope of the art of India intertwines with the cultural history, religions and philosophies which place art production and patronage in social and cultural contexts.

17) Indian painting - Somewhere around 1st century BC the Sadanga or Six Limbs of Indian Painting, were evolved, a series of canons laying down the main principles of the art. Vatsyayana, who lived during the third century A.D., enumerates these in his Kamasutra having extracted them from still more ancient works. These ‘Six Limbs’ have been translated as follows : 1. Rupabheda The knowledge of appearances. 2. Pramanam Correct perception, measure and structure. 3. Bhava Action of feelings on forms. 4. Lavanya Yojanam Infusion of grace, artistic representation. 5. Sadrisyam Similitude. 6. Varnikabhanga Artistic manner of using the brush and colours. (Tagore.) The subsequent development of painting by the Buddhists indicates that these ' Six Limbs ' were put into practice by Indian artists, and are the .basic principles on which their art was founded.

18) Buddhist art - Buddhist art originated on the Indian subcontinent following the historical life of Gautama Buddha, 6th to 5th century BCE, and thereafter evolved by contact with other cultures as it spread throughout Asia and the world.

19) Indian coinage - The Vishwakarma Brahmins minted beautiful coins displaying great artistic talent.

20) History of metallurgy in the Indian subcontinent - History of metallurgy in the Indian subcontinent begins during the 2nd millennium BCE and continues well into the British Raj. The Indian cultural and commercial contacts with the Near East and the Greco-Roman world enable an exchange of metallurgic sciences.

Position in society

They have claimed a higher social status for many years and believe that the trades which they traditionally follow are superior to the work of a manual labourer because they require artistic and scientific skills as well as those of the hand. According to George Varghese, their claim to high status is "one of the mainstays of Viskwakarma identity" in what is otherwise a fragmented, incoherent community that has often suffered from internal differences of opinion.[2] Their claim has been voiced by Edava Somanathan, a member of the community and its only historian in the written word. Somanathan's works, according to Varghese, "... are written from a pro-community perspective. Therefore, there are a lot of exaggerations and anti-brahmin tirades in them". Somanathan argues that the artisanal groups were a part of the Indus Valley Civilisation, pre-dating the arrival of Brahmins and their caste-based division of society. He claims remarkable achievements are evidenced in both the arts and sciences during that egalitarian pre-Brahmin era, including the construction of aeroplanes.[2] This claim to Brahmin status is not generally accepted outside the community, despite their assumption of some high-caste traits, such as wearing the sacred thread, and the Brahminisation of their rituals. For example, the sociologist M. N. Srinivas, who developed the concept of sanskritisation, juxtaposed the success of the Lingayat caste in achieving advancement within Karnataka society by such means with the failure of the Vishwakarma to achieve the same. Their position as a left-hand caste has not aided their ambition.[5] They have been included in the list of Other Backward Classes in some states of North India.[6]