Deekshabhoomi

Deekshabhoomi

Deekshabhoomi or Dikshabhumi is a sacred edifice of Buddhism. It was built on the site, converted at the Babasaheb Ambedkar on October 14, 1956, with approximately 380,000 followers to Buddhism. Ambedkar's conversion to Buddhism is still a role model for the Indian population.

Deekshabhoomi is located in Nagpur, Maharashtra, a place of pilgrimage of Buddhism in India. Every year thousands of pilgrims Deekshabhoomi, especially on Ashok Vijaya Dashmi and on October 14. A large stupa was built on the site.

Deeksha literally means acceptance of religion. Deeksha corresponds in Buddhism baptism in Christianity. Bhoomi means land. So Deekshabhoomi literally means "the land where people get converted to Buddhism ." Deekshabhoomi is one of the most important places in the life of Ambedkar, the other Chaityabhoomi in Mumbai.

Deekshabhoomi is famous for its architectural beauty and historical importance. It is also one of the most important tourist centers in India.

History

Ambedkar had in 1935 stated that he was indeed born as a Hindu but would not die as such .. After this statement, he studied extensively the teachings of all great religions and then chose Buddhism for himself and his followers ..

He chose from Nagpur for Zeromie because it was the home of Nag, a nation that adopted Buddhism and supported with great effort in its early days has .. On 14 October 1956 on measures Ambedkar and his wife Savita Ambedkar the oath of Three Jewels and the Five Silas of Mahasthavir Chandramani. Connecting Ambedkar gave the oath of Three Jewels, the five Silas and 22 vows to his followers thousands.

Ambedkar died on December 6, 1956, just 6 weeks after the ceremony. After his death, Dr. Ambedkar Smarak Samiti was established to manage Deekshabhoomi. The Committee decided to erect a stupa at the site as a memorial for the ceremony and the conversion of such a crowd of people to Buddhism.

Architecture

Architectural History

The Stupa of Deekshabhoomi was designed by the famous architect Sheo Dan time. The construction of the stupa started in July 1978 but it took until she was finished. The company Sagar Enterprise of Mumbai finished the structural work. The stupa was passed on 18 December 2001 after an official opening by the Indian President KR Narayanan to the public ..

Stupa

The design of the stupa in Deekshabhoomi based on the architecture of the world famous stupa of Sanchi. In contrast to the Stupa of Sanchi Stupa from the Deekshabhoomi inside is completely hollow. It is the largest free-standing Buddhist stupa world. On the ground floor there is a 64 x 64 meter square hall. In the middle of this hall there is a statue of Buddha. This was donated by Thai students of the University of Nagpur. In addition, there are a library and a photo exhibition with pictures from the life of Gautama Buddha and Ambedkar.

Is the dome of the hall. Around the dome runs a veranda. There is a fountain on all four sides of the dome. For the bottoms of the stupa marble from Dholpur, Rajasthan was used. There are doors on all four sides of the stupa. The doors open in large arcs, which are decorated with Ashok Chakra and statues of horses, elephants and lions, which give an old-fashioned look.

Around the stupa there is a garden which is maintained by the Nagpur Improvement Trust repaired. Before the stupa are statues of Ambedkar and Gautama Buddha.

Vihar and the poplar - fig

Right in front of the stupa is a Buddha Vihara with a bronze Buddha figure. In addition, there are facilities for the resident monks.

Besides the Vihara is a poplar - fig, a sacred fig tree. This poplar fig is grown from three branches of poplar figs from Anuradhapuram in Sri Lanka, which were planted in Deekshabhoomi. Bhadant Anand Kausalyayan brought these branches in commemoration of Buddha's Enlightenment with Sri Lanka.

Tourism

Deekshabhoomi is visited by thousands of local and foreign tourists, mainly on the anniversary of the conversion ceremony. Foreign tourists mainly come from Buddhist countries like Japan and Thailand.

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