13/10/2017
Deekshabhoomi is a sacred monument of Buddhism located where the architect of the Indian Constitution, B. R. Ambedkar, converted to Buddhism with approximately 600,000 followers on Ashok Vijaya Dashami on 14 October 1956. Ambedkar's conversion to Buddhism is deeply significant for millions of people in India.
Deekshabhoomi is in Nagpur, Maharashtra, a location regarded as a pilgrimage center of Buddhism in India. Millions of pilgrims visit Deekshabhoomi every year,especially on Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din ("Mass Conversion Ceremony Day") and 14 October, the memorial day when Ambedkar converted to Buddhism here. His final religious act was to embrace Buddhism. Today, the largest stupa in Asia is erected in his memory at the site.
Deeksha literally means 'act of ordaining' and bhoomi means the 'ground'. Deekshabhoomi means the ground where people got ordained as Buddhist. This religious mass conversion at one place was the first ever of its kind in history. Deekshabhoomi is one of two places of considered to be of great importance in the life of Ambedkar, the other being Chaitya Bhoomi in Mumbai.
