Dhammachakra Pravartan Day or DhammaChakra Anupravartan Din is an important festive day for all Buddhists. Celebrated every year on October 14 it marks the conversion of Dr BR Ambedkar, the father of the constitution's conversion into the religion of Buddhism. Along with Dr Ambedkar approximately 600,000 of his followers converted to Buddhism on October 14, 1956. So this day, is marked with much honour and enthusiasm by people of the Buddhist community. Ahead of this celebratory occasion, we will you more about its history and significance. BR Ambedkar Quotes & HD Images: 11 Memorable Sayings by the Father of Indian Constitution.

History and Significance

Indian caste system is very rigid and it is unfortunately still very much prevalent in the society. People of the lower caste faced constant discrimination and were forced to do menial jobs at the hands of the upper-caste people. To combat this major discrimination, BR Ambedkar, who has drafted the Indian constituion, took a big step of converting to Buddhism. He aimed to decrease the discrimination based on caste system.

Dhammachakra Pravartan Day is said to be the day of freedom, a day on which one can freely change or transform themselves. Along with Ambedkar, almost 6 lakh of his followers chose the path of Buddhism at the Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur. This serves as an important day in Buddhist history and is celebrated with pride by people of the community.

Celebrations of Dhammachakra Pravartan Day

On this day, many Buddhists and followers of Dr Ambedkar gather at the Deekshabhoomi to pay their respects. People send across wishes of Happy Dhammachakra Pravartan Day to one another. There are various other events and campaigns held on this day which remember Dr Ambedkar and his teachings. On this day, a large number of people assemble to praise and honor the neo-buddhists. This time however, because of the pandemic, the celebrations will be low-key.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 11, 2020 08:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).