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Karmakar (Bengali: কর্মকার) is a Bengali Hindu caste spread throughout West Bengal, Assam and Bangladesh. The Karmakars are traditionally blacksmiths by trade.They are one of the fourteen castes belonging to 'Nabasakh' group.[1] They are recognized as Other Backward Class and also Forward Caste (General) by the Government of West Bengal.[2]
The Karmakars used to be blacksmiths by profession. Over time, the Karmakars have produced engineering masterpieces.[citation needed] In 1637, Janardan Karmakar (Blacksmith) of Sylhet built the great gun of Murshidabad, the Jahan Kosha Cannon 'Destroyer of the World', which is 18' in length and weighs around 7 tons.[3][4][5] Another grand cannon named Dal Madal Kaman was built by Jagannath Karmakar in 1565 for the kingdom of Mallabhum.[6]In the late 18th century, Panchanan Karmakar pioneered the Bengali printing industry by inventing a movable type punch marked Bengali scripts.[7][citation needed]