During my recent visit to Deekshabhoomi I found this place filled with serenity and was awed and spellbound through out.

Deekshaboomi is a consequential monument of Navyavana Buddhists. It is an important tourist attraction of Nagpur (The city of oranges). Deeksha in Sanskrit means an acceptance of religion and Bhoomi means land. Dr. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar choose Nagpur for his religious conversion ceremony, as he said,"Nagpur was the homeland of the Nag people who embraced Buddhism and supported it with great efforts." Nagpur got its name from the mighty river Nag which graces the city. On 14th Oct 1956, Dr. Ambedkar along with his wife and 60,000 thousand followers converted to Buddhism. Dhamma Chakra Pravaratan Din was one of its kind in the history of mankind. Now 14th October is celebrated as Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Day (Mass conversion ceremony day). Millions of people gather at Deekshabhoomi on Vijaydashmi and Bodha Purnima the day of enlightenment. 

Dhamma is a Pali word which means the teachings and doctrines of the Buddha. The three gems of Buddhism are-

The Buddha- The enlightened one

Dhamma- Teachings expounded by Buddha 

The Sangha- Collective group of people who follow Dhamma 

Deekshabhoomi was built on a vast land of 4 acres where Dr. Ambedkar converted his religion. The Stupa was built later by the Ambedkar Smarak Samiti after his death as a memorial.  The architect of the stupa is Sheo Dan Mal.

Deekshaboomi is the biggest hollow stupa in Asia. The dome is made up of white marble, granite and pink Dholpur sandstone.The dome is 120ft high and 120 ft wide in diameter. It is hollow and covers a circular hall of 4000 sq.ft. A Buddha statue adorns the centre of the circular hall. The statue was donated by Thai students studying at Nagpur University. 

The magnificent stupa is a replica of the main Sanchi Stupa (Near Bhopal). The construction started in 1978 and it took 23 years to complete and it was opened to the public only on 18th Dec 2001 by the President of India Dr. K.R.Narayanan.

In front of the Stupa, on the right hand side there is a Buddha Vihar with a bronze idol of Lord Buddha.


Besides the Vihar is a Bodhi tree which is a sacred Peepal tree. This Bodhi tree was planted from three branches of the Bodhi tree at Anuradhpuram in Sri Lanka as a memoir of Buddha's enlightenment.

The premises now have separate fully equipped auditorium, Yatri Niwas (Guest house) and research library. It is open all year around. Every year lakhs of local and foreign tourists pay a visit to Deekshabhoomi.