Deekshabhoomi (1956 Buddhist Conversion Monument).
Most weekend visitors to Nagpur do Sitabuldi market + Ramtek temple. The Deekshabhoomi stupa sits on Shraddhanand Peth 4km from the railway station — pilgrim flow peaks on Dhamma-Chakra-Pravartan-Din (Oct 14) and Buddha Purnima, but mid-week the 5-acre site is quiet.WHY NOBODY KNOWS
A 5-acre commemorative stupa on the exact site where Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and ~400,000 of his Dalit followers embraced Buddhism on Ashoka Vijaya Dashami (Oct 14, 1956) — the founding moment of the Navayana movement. The hemispherical stupa (inaugurated Dec 18, 2001 by President K.R. Narayanan) is the largest hollow stupa in the world. Inside: Ambedkar's bone-ash relic, his 22 vows engraved on tablets, the original chair from which he administered the Three Jewels oath taken from Burmese monk Mahasthavir Chandramani. Open 5am-9pm; free entry; modest dress; remove shoes before stupa interior. Annual Dhamma-Chakra-Pravartan-Din (Oct 14) draws 1+ million pilgrims.
