India is a land of multiple cultures, religions and festivals. Especially this time of the year from around September to November can be literally called the festive season during which different religions, cultures, sects celebrate their festivals with togetherness. We recently covered two important occasions namely Sri Ganesh Chaturthi Pooja and the festival of Paryushana of Jain religion. Today we will talk about the worship of Lord Vishwakarma.
About Lord Vishwakarma & 2016 Vishwakarma Puja Date
This puja is done to worship the Lord Vishwakarma. Lord Vishwakarma was the engineer of the Gods. He constructed many mythological cities and weapons. He was extremely talented and was very popular among the devtas. He was a product of the Samudra manthan. It is said that Vishwakarma also wrote the Sthapatya Veda that deals with engineering, mechanics and architecture.
Vishwakarma Pooja Date 2016: The Vishwakarma Puja in 2016 is on 16th October 2016 (Friday).
Actually the Puja is done on the last day of the Bengali month which goes by the name Bhadra and hence the day is also called Bhadra or Kanya Sakranti.
Although Vishwakarma Pooja is celebrate globally, its main epicenter is in India where it is more popular in the states of Karnataka, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Tripura. Since Lord Vishwakarma is the authority on engineering and architecture, this day is celebrate in most of the factories, industries and workshops. It is believed that Lord Vishwakarma blesses the machinery and equipment and the owners would prosper with the help of this puja. It is highly recommended for factors which are accident prone and some or the other mishap keeps on occuring.
Lord Vishwakarma
Due to this very reason, normally the industries do not function on this day and it is a holiday for the workers as well. After performing Vishwarkama Puja during the morning, the machines are allowed to rest so that the Lord Vishwakarma can bless them and make the environment to work safer.
A statue of the Lord Vishwakarma is placed in the factory. The workers and the owners gather at one place to pray to the Lord. Some owners also distribute new clothes and money to the workers as gift. Arrangements are made for lunch after the puja. Normally the bigger the organization the more grand will be the celebrations.
Vishwakarma Puja Vidhi: The Details
We will now discuss in details how exactly the Vishwakarma puja is performed in details. This will help you to arrange for a better puja and ensure that your factory and work place is blessed.
Anyone whose livelihood depends on a mechanical object like a machine or a vehicle can do the Vishwakarma puja. This ensures that the coming year will pass well without any major problems technically.
Pre-preparations
The first and foremost thing is obviously to arrange an idol of Lord Vishwakarma for the puja. Depending on your spending capacity you can even go for a very small sized idol. In the extreme case you can also do with an image or even just a reverence in your mind.
You must also get a priest on time. In the last moment it might not be possible to get the priest. The priest will tell you all that you will need to do the puja. Just arrange for these before the puja.
Ensure that not even a single thing is missed and you know exactly where you have kept what. You must ensure that you clean the factory well before the puja begins. The place where the idol of Lord Vishwakarma is placed must be washed well before you place the idol. The machines should also be maintained well before the puja begins. Some belive that buying a new machine on the day of the Vishwakarma puja can actually bring in good luck and prosperity. As per the wish and ability of the owner the factory can be decorated. Some owners many also invite a friends and family for the puja.
The Mahurat
The puja must start at the given time. The workers must wear new clothes and be present for the puja. You must announce to the workers the exact time they should be present for the puja. The Puja is followed by the distribution of the prasad to one and all. A lunch is arranged in the factory premises itself.
The Great Equalizer
It is perhaps the only time in the year when the owner and the workers eat together. Some friends and family can also be invited to participate in the puja and the lunch. After the lunch the owner distributes clothes, sweets and even annual bonus at times. This is done to show appreciation towards the workers who work so hard to make the factory a success all across the year.
Aarti
After that in the evening an Aarti is arranged to seek the blessing of the Lord. The Aarti must be taken to the room where machines are placed. This Aarti will bless these machines and ensure that no accidents occur in the future. Some also place a haldi and kumkum dot on the machines that are worshipped on Vishwakarma puja. These bring in good luck. The workers must also participate in the Aarti and seek the blessings of the Lord Vishwakarma.
Starting New
The day of Vishwakarma puja is also considered auspicious to start a new venture. It is believed that when you start a business on Vishwakarma puja it will be definitely is a success especially if it is a mechanical firm. The factories are lighted with bulbs and other decorations are done.
Post Procedures
The idol of Vishwakarma must be kept overnight along with the things that were used for the puja. After the puja just throw these into a water body or a river. If the Vishwakarma puja is not done well or is discontinued due to financial or other reasons the affects of it can be really bad on the factory owner and the workers.
One person must be present in the factory at night to ensure that the Akhand Diya in front of the Vishwakarma idol is on throughout the night. The next day in the morning visarjan is arranged in a nearby water body.
Kite Flying
In many states of India on the day of Vishwakarma puja kite flying is done. Colourful kites cover the whole sky. It is a time of joy and celebrations. Some also arrange for kite festivals. No matter what the age of the person is they actively participate in the kite flying activity. This is more common in Bihar and West Bengal.
Some factory owners also take to charity on the Vishwakarma puja day. Charity can always bring in good luck and blessings to those doing it. Do always remember that the workers of the factory who toil so hard with their sweat and time, are the live embodiment of Lord Vishwakarma so the owners and management should always keep their interests in mind.
We hope that we have covered almost all the aspects of the Vishwakarma puja and how exactly it is celebrated and why. We hope that this will help you to celebrate a better Vishwakarma puja and also enjoy it more.
Final Note: we always inform our readers that the procedures for performing Pujas are normally quite detailed and rigorous but if you have faith, plus your time, resources etc do not allow, you can perform them at a simpler level and just Pray whole heartedly to the Lord that any shortcomings should be forgiven. That comes under a different realm of Spirituality which is equal perhaps even much more important than the symbolic outward Puja which of course has its own place in the society and scheme of things.