Overview
- On October 14, 1956, B. R. Ambedkar and Savita Ambedkar were initiated into Buddhism in Nagpur by Burmese monk Bhikku Chandiramani.
- Ambedkar then administered 22 vows to roughly half a million followers gathered at Deekshabhoomi.
- Ramesh noted that 1956 was observed as the 2500th anniversary of the Buddha, providing context for the timing of the ceremony.
- He cited Ashok Gopal’s biography A Part Apart for fresh interpretive insights into the conversion.
- Wamanrao Godbole helped select Nagpur and the Vijayadashmi date, and Ambedkar’s book The Buddha and His Dhamma appeared posthumously in early January 1957.