Karmakar

Karmakar (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. They are recognized as Other Backward Class and also Forward Caste (General) by the Government of West Bengal.

History
The Karmakars used to be blacksmiths by profession. Over time, the Karmakars have produced engineering masterpieces. 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. Another grand cannon named Dal Madal Kaman was built by Jagannath Karmakar in 1565 for the kingdom of Mallabhum.In the late 18th century, Panchanan Karmakar pioneered the Bengali printing industry by inventing a movable type punch marked Bengali scripts.

Notables

 * Radhu Karmakar (1919–1993), cinematographer and film director
 * Prokash Karmakar (1933–2014), artist
 * Romuald Karmakar (b. 1965), French & German film director
 * Joydeep Karmakar (b. 1979), sports shooter
 * Prasanta Karmakar (b. 1980), swimmer
 * Dipa Karmakar (b. 1993), gymnast
 * Panchanan Karmakar (d. 1804), inventor of the Bangla Font
 * Tamalika Karmakar (b. 1970), actress and national award winner
 * Kalidas Karmakar (b. 1946), noted artist and Ekushey Padak laureate
 * Vidyadhar Karmakar (b.1925), actor