Vishwakarma Puja Preparationविश्वकर्मा पूजा की तैयारी

Vishwakarma Puja is one of the few festivals that is celebrated as much at the workplace as at home. Factories, workshops, garages, shops, offices and even households with a single sewing machine or a motorcycle honour Lord Vishwakarma, the divine architect and patron of craftspeople, on this day. Because the puja involves tools, machines and often a whole team of workers, good preparation in the days before makes the day itself calm and orderly. This page covers what to arrange beforehand. For the order of the puja itself, see the procedure of Vishwakarma Puja, and for the step-by-step ritual with mantras, see the Vishwakarma Puja vidhi.

Fix the date and book a priest early

In most of eastern India, and in workplaces across the country, Vishwakarma Puja falls on Kanya Sankranti, the day the sun enters Kanya (Virgo). This usually falls on 16, 17 or 18 September, so check the Vishwakarma Puja date for the year and your local panchang for the preferred time. In parts of North India, Vishwakarma Day is observed on the day after Diwali instead.

If you want a priest to perform the puja, contact one well in advance. On this day priests are in great demand, especially in industrial areas, and many visit several factories one after another. Speaking to the priest early has another benefit: he can tell you exactly which items he needs, the time he can come and whether he will perform a havan. Many families and small workshops perform the puja themselves, which is entirely acceptable.

Collect the puja items

Make a list of the samagri a few days before and buy the items that keep, such as roli, kumkum, haldi, incense, camphor, cotton wicks, mauli and betel nuts. Buy flowers, garlands, mango leaves, fruits and sweets fresh the day before or early on the morning of the puja. The core items are:

• A picture or idol of Lord Vishwakarma
• A wooden chowki covered with a clean yellow or red cloth
• A kalash with water (and a little Ganga jal if available), mango leaves and a coconut
• Roli, kumkum, haldi, akshat (unbroken rice), sandalwood paste and mauli
• Flowers and garlands, incense, a ghee diya and camphor
• Fruits, sweets, panchamrit, betel leaves and betel nuts
• The tools, machines or vehicles that will be worshipped

The full list with quantities, including optional havan items, is on the Vishwakarma Puja items page. Keep everything together on one tray or in one box so that nothing has to be searched for once the puja begins.

Clean the workplace

Cleaning is the heart of the preparation. Devotees see the workplace as the place where Lord Vishwakarma's blessing is at work all year, so it is cleaned thoroughly before he is worshipped there.

• Sweep and wash the floor of the workshop, factory floor, shop or office, and clear away scrap, waste and old packaging.
• Choose a clean spot for the altar, ideally where everyone can gather. Many people prefer a place facing east or north, but a clean, safe and accessible spot matters most.
• Wash the area where the chowki will stand and, if you wish, draw a rangoli or alpana in front of it.
• Decorate the entrance with a toran of mango leaves or marigold garlands, and the premises with flowers or lights as your means allow.

Clean the tools, machines and vehicles

Tools and machines are the main focus of Vishwakarma Puja, so give them extra care, preferably a day before.

• Switch off and unplug machines before cleaning them. Wipe away grease, dust and metal shavings, and oil moving parts as you normally would during maintenance.
• Wash and dry hand tools such as hammers, chisels, spanners, saws and measuring tapes. Clean sewing machines, computers and kitchen equipment too (wipe electronic items with a dry cloth only).
• Wash vehicles such as cars, motorcycles, auto-rickshaws, tractors and trucks.
• In many factories, machines are also given a fresh coat of paint or oil.
• Arrange small tools neatly on a clean cloth near the altar so they can be worshipped together. Large machines are worshipped where they stand.

Machines are usually kept switched off during the puja and work normally stops for the day.

Inform workers and guests

At a workplace, tell all workers and staff the time of the puja in advance so that everyone can attend. Many people wear new or freshly washed clothes on this day. Owners often invite family, friends, regular customers and neighbouring shopkeepers. At home, decide who will sit for the puja and who will help with the prasad.

Plan the prasad and the meal

At the end of the puja, prasad is shared with everyone present, so arrange it according to the number of people expected.

• Order or prepare sweets and buy fruits in good time. If you plan to cook prasad such as kheer or khichdi, see Vishwakarma Puja prasad preparation.
• Keep leaf plates (pattal), leaf bowls (dona) or other disposable plates ready for serving.
• Many factories and shops also serve a community meal after the puja, where the owner, workers and guests eat together. If you plan one, arrange the cooking or catering a few days in advance.

In many workplaces this is also the day when owners thank their workers with sweets, gifts, new clothes or a bonus, in recognition of their hard work through the year. It is a custom, not a rule, and each employer follows it according to their means.

On the morning of the puja

1. Bathe and wear clean or new clothes.
2. Give the altar area a final sweep and set up the chowki, cloth and picture or idol.
3. Lay out the samagri on the puja thali and fill the kalash with water.
4. Place the cleaned tools near the altar and make sure machines are switched off.
5. Keep a copy of the Vishwakarma Puja katha and the aarti "Om Jai Shri Vishwakarma" at hand.

Some people believe that buying a new tool or vehicle around Vishwakarma Puja is auspicious, and many businesses choose this day to start using new equipment. This is a matter of custom and personal choice.

A note on safety

Lamps, incense and camphor are lit close to machines, fuel and stock on this day. Keep the diya on a steady plate away from oil, fuel, paper and cloth, never leave a flame unattended, and keep water or a fire extinguisher nearby. If a lamp is kept burning overnight at a workplace, as some families do, make sure someone stays to watch it.