Vishwakarma's Architectural Wonders

[Santosh Kumar]

Vishwakarma's Architectural Wonders:

Hindu mythology is full of Vishwakarma's many architectural wonders. Through the four 'yugas', he had built several towns and palaces for the gods. In "Satya yuga", he built the Swarg Loke, or heaven, the abode of the gods and demigods where Lord Indra rules. Vishwakarma then built the 'Sone ki Lanka' in "Treta yuga", the city of Dwarka in
"Dwapar yuga", and Hastinapur and Indraprastha in the "Kali yuga".

'Sone Ki Lanka' or Golden Lanka:

According to Hindu mythology, 'Sone ki Lanka' or Golden Lanka was the place where the demon king Ravana dwelled in the "Treta yuga." As we read in the
epic story Ramayana, this was also the place where Ravana kept Sita, Lord Ram's wife as a hostage.

There is also a story behind the construction of Golden Lanka. When Lord Shiva married Parvati, he asked Vishwakarma to build a beautiful palace
for them to reside. Vishwakarma put up a palace made of gold! For the
housewarming ceremony, Shiva invited
the wise Ravana to perform the "Grihapravesh" ritual. After the sacred
ceremony when Shiva asked Ravana to ask anything in return as
"Dakshina", Ravana, overwhelmed with the beauty and grandeur of the
palace, asked Shiva for the golden palace itself! Shiva was obliged to
accede to Ravana's wish, and the Golden Lanka became Ravana's palace.

Dwarka:

Among the many mythical towns Viswakarma built is Dwarka, the capital of Lord Krishna. During the time of the Mahabharata, Lord Krishna is said to have lived in Dwarka, and made it his "Karma Bhoomi"
or center of operation. That is why this place in nothern India has
become a well known pilgrimage for the Hindus.

Hastinapur:

In the present "Kali Yuga", Vishwakarma is said to have built the town of Hastinapur, the capital of Kauravas and Pandavas, the warring families
of the Mahabharata. After winning the battle of Kurukshetra, Lord
Krishna installed Dharmaraj Yudhisthir as the ruler of Hastinapur.

Indraprastha:

Vishwakarma also built the town of Indraprastha for the Pandavas. The Mahabharata has it that King Dhritrashtra offered a piece of land called 'Khaandavprastha' to the Pandavas for living. Yudhishtir obeyed his
uncle's order and went to live in Khaandavprastha with the Pandava
brothers. Later, Lord Krishna invited Vishwakarma to build a capital for the Pandavas on this land, which he renamed 'Indraprastha'.

Legends tell us about the architectural marvel and beauty of Indraprastha. Floors of the palace were so well done that they had a reflection like
that of water, and the pools and ponds inside the palace gave the
illusion of a flat surface with no water in them.

After the palace was built, the Pandavas invited the Kauravas, and Duryodhan and his brothers went to visit Indraprastha. Not knowing the wonders of
the palace, Duryodhan was flummoxed by the floors and the pools, and
fell into one of the ponds. The Pandava wife Draupadi, who witnessed
this scene, had a good laugh! She retorted, hinting at Duryodhan's
father (the blind king Dhritrashtra) "the son of a blind man is bound to
be blind." This remark of Draupadi annoyed Duryodhan so much that later
on it became a major cause for the great war of Kurukshetra described
in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita.

[Dr.Prachi Singh]

Very good information about mythological architectural marvels.