B.R. Ambedkar
Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891–1956) — jurist, chief architect of the Indian Constitution, and the modern Buddha-dhamma’s great Indian revivalist — converted to Buddhism with half a million followers in 1956, founding the Navayana (new vehicle) movement.
Background
Born “untouchable” (Mahar caste) at Mhow; educated at Columbia and the London School of Economics; his career fought caste untouchability through law, journalism (Mooknayak, Bahishkrit Bharat), and mass mobilization (the Mahad Satyagraha 1927, the Kalaram temple entry 1930); Chairman of the Constitution’s Drafting Committee (1947–50).
Spiritual Contribution
The 1956 conversion (Nagpur, October 14, with ~500,000 followers, taking the 22 vows — renouncing Hindu ritual); his The Buddha and His Dhamma (1957) recast Buddhism as a social ethic (liberty, equality, fraternity); the Navayana reading of Buddhism as the answer to caste, distinct from Hindu reform.
Legacy and Impact
Millions of Dalit-Buddhists (the largest Buddhist community in modern India); deekshabhoomi at Nagpur (the conversion stupa) is a major pilgrimage; his iconography (the Constitution in hand) is modern India’s most reproduced image; scholarly and popular Ambedkarite Buddhism continues to grow.
Verification notes
- Dates, conversion, and the 22 vows are documented; Navayana’s doctrinal distinctness is standard scholarship.
- Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).