Deekshabhoomi is a central memorial in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India, built after the original Buddhist architecture, and is a replica of the famous stupa erected by the Great Emperor Asoka at Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh. It is the biggest ever stupa in the Asian Continent, and was inaugurated on Thursday, 18th December 2001 by the then President of India K. R. Narayanan. It is situated at the heart of Nagpur, Maharashtra (India), and is a global recognition for the city15.Deekshabhoomi is an important tourist attraction in Nagpur, and is a historical place in India where about 1,000,000 people were converted from Hinduism to Buddhism at a single moment on October 14, 1956. These people were people of lower classes who converted under the leadership of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. Ambedkar felt that their human rights could only be protected as Bhuddists2.Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the Chief Architect of Constitution of India, embraced Buddhism here on 14th October 1956. This is considered the only revolution where more than six million people followed at once the principles of the Dhamma.

Embracing Buddhism stands important for another reason and that is revival of Buddhism by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. He studied the Dhamma thoroughly and wrote a voluminous book entitled ‘The Buddha and His Dhamma’ that brought out a fundamental change in religious matters. The followers adopted the practices and felt liberated from the clutches of age-old, traditional blind faiths and superstitions1.The day of mass conversion is remembered as the day of celebration by millions and every year, on the occasion of Dhammachakra Pravartan Din, a mega programme is organized to mark the event in history. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar in his address to Buddhists stated that Nagpur was a homeland of ‘Nag’ people, the ‘Nag’ river at this place was the early settlement of those people. All the Nagas were primarily Buddhists and in reverence to them he had chosen this place

In Nagpur, Dussehra holds a special significance as it is the day when Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian constitution, along with other followers, embraced Buddhism after renouncing Hinduism at Deekshabhoomi in 1956. This event, known as Dhammachakra Pravartan Din, is celebrated annually on October 14, and it is a significant occasion for Buddhists and admirers of Dr. Ambedkar 

Best month to visit  

October, November, December, January, February and March