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The Vishwakarma (or Viśvákarma) caste, known within the group as the Viswabrahmin, is an Indian caste which includes five sub-castes: carpenters, blacksmiths, bell metalworkers, goldsmiths and stonemasons who describe themselves as descendants of the Hindu god Vishwakarma, They worship various forms of this deity and follow five Vedas: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, Atharvaveda, and Pranava Veda.

Origin and subdivisions

In India, the Viskwakarma comprises five artisan subgroups. being bell metalworkers, blacksmiths, carpenters, goldsmiths and stonemasons. They have claimed a status as Brahmins 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.

The Vishwakarma or Panchal people of India say that five sons (Manu, Maya, Tvastar, Shilpy and Vishwajnya) were born from the five faces of the god Vishwakarma, and these five had five sons Sanaga, Sanātana, Ahabūna, Pratna and Suparņa who are the rishi or gotrakara (founders of gotra, lineage) of the community's five divisions. These five rishis are mentioned in Krishan Yajurveda (4.3.3).

Distribution

The Vishwakarma are largely found in the South of India: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Konkan. In Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat. Other Indian Vishwakarma populations are in: Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, Bihar, and Orissa. They are also found in Sri Lanka.

Kerala

Vishwakarmas of Kerala are also known as Achary or Viswa Brahmanar. They exist in Kerala in two communities: one Tamil, one Malayali.

Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, Tamil Achari or Asari are known as Tamil Kammalars. They are goldsmiths and landlords.

Karnataka

The Vishwakarma caste of south Karnataka, is composed of several sub-castes: Kulachar, Shiv Achar, Uttaradi (goldsmiths), Matachar (founders), Muddekammaras, and Chikkamanes. Most of these sub-castes do not intermarry and have a hierarchy among themselves. These subcastes are varied according to various regions of Karnataka, but all worship the goddess Kali.

Diet

Vishwakarmas in North and South India follow a vegetarian diet and abstain from liquor.

Notables

Notes

  1. According to the Shankara Vijaya, when Adi Shankara visited Masulipatam, the Devakammalars became angry at his claim of being a Jagatguru believing an impostor was trying to assume a title that was their own exclusive property. Questioning Shankara his right to the distinction, he sang in reply: Acharyo Sankaranama Twashta putro nasansaya Viprakula Gourordiksha Visvakarmantu Brahmana: I am a decendent of Twashter, I am a Brahmin of the Vishwakarma Caste.Visvakarma, and His Descendants. Ceylon Visvakarma Union, Colombo, Ceylon, 1909. p. 10. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)

References

  1. "The Panchals are the followers of the five Vedas, the fifth being Pranava Veda."Karnataka (India) (1987). Karnataka State Gazetteer: Belgaum. Printed by the Director of Print, Stationery and Publications at the Govt. Press.
  2. Varghese K., George (8–14 November 2003). "Globalisation Traumas and New Social Imaginary: Visvakarma Community of Kerala". Economic and Political Weekly. 38 (45): 4794–4802. JSTOR 4414253.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  3. name="Sathyan">B. N., Sri Sathyan (1990). Karnataka State Gazetteer: Bangalore District Gazetteer of India. Karnataka (India): Director of Print., Stationery and Publications at the Government Press.
  4. Singh, Kumar Suresh. Rajasthan,. Vol. Volume 2. Dipak Kumar Samanta, Sushil Kumar Mandal, N. N. Vyas,. Anthropological Survey of India. p. 201. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  5. Visvakarma, and His Descendants. Ceylon Visvakarma Union, Colombo, Ceylon, 1909. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
  6. Thurston, Edgar. Castes and tribes of Southern India,. Vol. Volume 3. pp. 126–129. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  7. Iyer, L. A. Krishna (1968). Social history of Kerala. Book Centre. p. 6. Retrieved 16 January 2012. The Kammalars are divided into two classes, the Tamil Kammalar and the Malayali Kammalar.
  8. Ramaswamy, Vijaya (2007). Historical dictionary of the Tamils. Scarecrow Press. pp. 107–108. ISBN 978-0-8108-5379-9. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  9. ^ Heesterman, J. C. "Goldsmiths of Karnataka". Ritual, state, and history in South Asia: essays in honour of J.C. Heesterman. M. S. Oort. pp. 442–455. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  10. Meera Mukherjee (1978). Metalcraftsmen of India. Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India. pp. 60, 62, 124. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  11. Aashi Manohar; Shampa Shah (1996). Tribal arts and crafts of Madhya Pradesh. Mapin Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-944142-71-4. Retrieved 18 June 2013.

Further reading

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