Jharkhand marked Vishwakarma Puja on September 17 with worship of machines and tools at workplaces across the state.
In Ranchi, the HEC and Mecon plants, garages and vehicle showrooms held ceremonies.
The electricity board, the railways and the Hatia yard also observed the puja.
Workers cleaned vehicles and machinery before formal worship, praying for success and prosperity.
Collective ceremonies were held at pandals set up at various institutions.
Lord Vishwakarma is worshipped as the divine architect and the patron of craftspeople, engineers and industrial workers.
In Ranchi, machines were worshipped at the HEC and Mecon plants, as well as at garages, workshops and vehicle showrooms.
Government departments including the electricity board and the railways, along with the Hatia yard, also held worship ceremonies.
Vehicles and machinery were cleaned before formal worship, and workers prayed for success in their work and for prosperity.
Pandals were set up at various institutions, with deity installations and collective ceremonies.
In Bokaro, a Vishwakarma Puja was organised at Jhopdi Colony in the Marafari police station area, accompanied by a seven-day fair.
Headquarters DSP Pawan Kumar said adequate police force would be deployed during the fair for the safety of devotees.
A mini control room has been set up at the Bokaro fair to deal with any emergencies.
Markets in towns such as Khunti and Koderma saw extra footfall in the days before the puja, as workshops and showrooms prepared.
The festival is widely observed in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and several other states, particularly by artisans and industrial workers.
A rain alert had been issued for parts of Jharkhand around the festival, though celebrations went ahead across the state.
The Sri Jagatguru Vishwakarma Temple in Ranchi, said to be a centre of faith since 1930, made special preparations for the day.
Many workplaces traditionally pause work on the day and leave machines idle, treating the break itself as part of the worship of Lord Vishwakarma.
Vishwakarma Puja celebration, Duliajan, Assam, 2024 (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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