In Search of Vishwakarma

The hesitation I feel when taking up a tough challenge is outweighed by the excitement and intellectual curiosity of being able to explore new ideas to build upon older ones.  Therefore, I must thank the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, and Prof Vijaya Ramaswamy, for offering me this opportunity and especially the honour of speaking at the opening of what I am sure will be a fascinating conference. Prof Ramaswamy has devoted a lot of time to the study of Visvakarma.  You find her studies referring to the Visvakarma community often described as a unified grouping of five sub-groups - carpenters, blacksmiths, bell metalworkers, goldsmiths and stonemasons - who believe that they are descendants of Viswakarma, through his sons. Manu was said to have worked with iron, Maya in wood, Tvasta in brass, copper and alloys, Silpi in stone and Visvajna who was a goldsmith and jeweller.  The kammalars in South India, who claim to be their descendants, are well versed in the shilpa shastras, the art treatises in Sanskrit laying out all the religious and technical processes to be followed in their work to achieve perfect results.  Forms and formats were rigi...