Chaitya Bhoomi (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: ''Caityabhūmī'', Officially: ''Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Mahaparinirvan Memorial'') is a Buddhist

chaitya A chaitya, chaitya hall, chaitya-griha, (Sanskrit:''Caitya''; Pāli: ''Cetiya'') refers to a shrine, sanctuary, temple or prayer hall in Indian religions. The term is most common in Buddhism, where it refers to a space with a stupa and a rounded ...

and the cremation place of

B. R. Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served ...

, the chief architect of the

Indian Constitution The Constitution of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental r ...

. It is situated besides

Dadar Dadar (Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪aːd̪əɾ is a densely populated residential and shopping neighbourhood in Mumbai. It is also a prominent railway and bus service hub with local and national connectivity. Dadar holds the distinction of being Mum ...

Chowpatty (beach),

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. Chaitya Bhoomi is a revered place of pilgrimage for Ambedkar's followers, who visit in millions annually on his death anniversary (''Mahaparinirvan Diwas'') on 6 December. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the Governor, the Minister and many other politicians pay tribute to Ambedkar every year on 6 December in Chaitya Bhoomi.

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

, the

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

, has also visited. Chaitya Bhoomi hosts a memorial to Ambedkar and has been graded an A-class tourism and pilgrimage site by the

Government of Maharashtra The Government of Maharashtra is the state governing authority for the state of Maharashtra, India. It is a democratically elected government with 288 MLAs elected to the Vidhan Sabha for a five-year term. Maharashtra has a Maharashtra Legisla ...

Structural details

The Buddha and Babasaheb Ambedkar inside Chaitya Bhoomi Stupa, Mumbai

The structure is square in shape with a small dome divided into ground and mezzanine floors. In the square-shaped structure is a circular wall about 1.5 metres in height. In the circular area are placed the bust of Ambedkar and a statue of

Gautam Buddha Gautama, Gautam or Gotama may refer to: Ancient sages and philosophers * Akṣapāda Gautama, a Hindu sage and founder of the Nyaya school of Hindu philosophy: see Nyāya Sūtras * Indrabhuti Gautama, chief disciple of Mahavira * Gautama Buddha, t ...

. The circular wall has two entrances and is furnished with marble flooring. On the mezzanine floor there is a Stupa, besides the resting place for

Bhikkhu A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics ("nun", ''bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhist ...

s. The main entrance gate of the Chaitya Bhoomi is replica of the Gate of the Stupa of Sanchi while inside a replica of

Ashoka Pillar The pillars of Ashoka are a series of monolithic columns dispersed throughout the Indian subcontinent, erected or at least inscribed with edicts by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka during his reign from c. 268 to 232 BCE. Ashoka used the express ...

is made. The Chaitya Bhoomi was inaugurated by Meerabai Yashvant Ambedkar, the daughter-in-law of B. R. Ambedkar, on 5 December 1971. Here, the

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

s of Ambedkar are enshrined. In 2012, the Central Government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cleared the transfer of Indu Mills land to the Maharashtra Government for constructing a memorial.

Mahaparinirvan Din

Ambedkar's death anniversary (December 6th) is observed as Mahaparinirvan Din.

million One million (1,000,000), or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian ''millione'' (''milione'' in modern Italian), from ''mille'', "thousand", plus the au ...

s of people across India throng Chaitya Bhoomi to pay homage to him.

Gallery

File:Chaitya Bhoomi Stupa 01.jpg, Chaitya Bhoomi File:Ashoka pillar, Chaitya Bhoomi 04.jpg, Ashoka pillar, Chaitya Bhoomi File:Ashoka pillar and Chaitya Bhoomi gate (inner side).jpg, Ashoka pillar and Chaitya Bhoomi gate (inner side) File:Chaitya Bhoomi Stupa 04.jpg, Chaitya Bhoomi Volunteers of

Samata Sainik Dal Samata Sainik Dal, (''Army of Soldiers for Equality'' or ''Party of the Fighters for Equality'') abbreviated as SSD, is a social organisation founded by B. R. Ambedkar on 24 September 1924 with the objective of safeguarding the rights of all oppr ...

and Ambedkars followers, surrounded by Chaitya Bhoomi on Mahaparinirvana Day File:Structure of Chaitya Bhoomi stupa inside Chaitya Bhoomi.jpg, Structure of Chaitya Bhoomi stupa inside Chaitya Bhoomi File:Replica of Sanchi gate at Chaitya Bhoomi.png, Replica of Sanchi gate carving at Chaitya Bhoomi File:Sand carved Buddha at Dadar Chowpatty.png, Sand carved Buddha at Dadar Chowpatty on Mahaparinirvan Din File:People across India gathered at Chaitya Bhoomi on 6th December.png, People across India gathered at Chaitya Bhoomi on 6 December File:An offering at Chaitya Bhoomi by family.png, An offering at Dadar Chowpatty by family File:A Buddhist monk watching photo exhibition at Chaitya Bhoomi.png, A Buddhist monk watching photo exhibition at Chaitya Bhoomi

References

External links

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The day Shivaji Park turns blue; 15 Dec 2018; Bhanuj Kappal
by

mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...

Memorials to B. R. Ambedkar Monuments and memorials in Maharashtra Buildings and structures in Mumbai Stupas in India Buddhist temples in Maharashtra

Structural details

Mahaparinirvan Din

Gallery

See also

References

External links