Epigraphic Evidence for the Vishvakarma Tradition

 Epigraphic Evidence for the Vishvakarma Tradition

: in early and medieval inscriptions, the communities associated with the Vishvakarma tradition were not always identified by the single, modern term “Vishvakarma.” Instead, inscriptions frequently use terms such as Kammālar, Pañchālar, Rathakārar, Sthapati, Taccar, Kollar, Tattan, and Silpi, referring to different artisan groups and professions. In later records, the expression Vishvakarma Kula and similar ideas of descent from Vishvakarma become more explicit.

1. Chola Inscriptions of Thiruvarur — 12th Century

One important body of evidence comes from the Chola period. Inscriptions from Thiruvarur refer to artisan communities using terms such as Kammālar and Rathakārar.

In medieval Tamil inscriptions, the five major artisan traditions are collectively associated with groups such as Kammālar or Pancha Kammālar. They traditionally include:

Tattan — goldsmith

Kannar — metalworker, particularly working with bronze and copper

Kollar — blacksmith or ironworker

Taccar — carpenter

Silpi / Kal-taccar — sculptor and stone artisan

These five traditional artisan groups later became closely associated with the broader Vishvakarma tradition.

It is therefore important not to assume that the absence of the word “Vishvakarma” in an early inscription means that the Vishvakarma tradition did not exist. The communities may have been recorded under their specific occupational or collective names.

2. The 1177 CE Macherla Inscription — Andhra Pradesh

Another significant piece of evidence comes from Macherla in present-day Andhra Pradesh.

A record dated to 1177 CE has been discussed in historical research in connection with smiths and their claimed descent from Vishvakarma. The tradition recorded in this context connects Vishvakarma with a divine genealogical tradition and presents artisan communities as descendants of Vishvakarma.

This is significant because it demonstrates that the idea of an ancestral or genealogical connection between artisan communities and Vishvakarma was already being expressed in medieval South Indian records.

3. A 16th-Century Visvabrahmin / Vishvakarma Record

Another important example comes from Andhra Pradesh.

A 1572 CE brass-plate document, generally described as a hakku-patra, records rights and traditions associated with five artisan groups. The community is associated with the terms Visvabrahmin and Visvakarma, and the tradition presents these artisan groups as descendants of Vishvakarma.

This later evidence is particularly useful for understanding how the older occupational identities of the artisan groups became increasingly connected with a broader Vishvakarma ancestral identity.

The Kerala Connection

The history of the Vishvakarma tradition in Kerala requires a slightly different approach.

Medieval Kerala records do not always use the modern term “Vishvakarma.” Instead, references to artisan communities may occur under names such as:

Ainkudi Kammālar

Taccar

Kollar

Other occupational and artisan designations

Therefore, when researching the history of the Vishvakarma tradition in Kerala, searching only for the word “Vishvakarma” is not sufficient.

Researchers should also examine terms such as Kammālar, Ainkudi Kammālar, Taccar, Kollar, Tattan, Silpi, and Sthapati