e n

Chaitya Bhoomi: India’s most visited death memorial

The funeral witnessed the second largest turnout in the history of Mumbai after Sardar Patel’s in 1950. The place is now known as Chaitya Bhoomi

When Dr Bheem Rao Ambedkar died on 6 December 1956 in Delhi, Dadar Chowpati of Bombay (now Mumbai) was picked as the venue for his cremation. The funeral witnessed the second largest turnout in the history of Mumbai after Sardar Patel’s in 1950. The place is now known as Chaitya Bhoomi. Every year on the Mahaparinirva Diwas lakhs of people visit Chaitya Bhoomi to pay their respects to Babasaheb. The Chaitya Bhoomi memorial was inaugurated by his daughter-in-law, Meera Ambedkar, on 5 December 1971.

6 December 1956: Mourners at 26 Alipur Road, Dr Ambedkar’s Delhi residence, pay their final respects

 

7 December 1956: A crowd of around 5 lakhs accompanied the funeral procession of Dr Ambedkar’s body (in a hearse)

 

6 December 2013: RPI (A) leader Ramdas Athawale pays homage to
Dr Ambedkar at Chaitya Bhoomi

 

A glimpse of the crowd that gathers at Chaitya Bhoomi on 6 December every year

Published in the December 2014 issue of the Forward Press magazine


Forward Press also publishes books on Bahujan issues. Forward Press Books sheds light on the widespread problems as well as the finer aspects of Bahujan (Dalit, OBC, Adivasi, Nomadic, Pasmanda) society, literature, culture and politics. Contact us for a list of FP Books’ titles and to order. Mobile: +919968527911, Email: info@forwardmagazine.in

About The Author

FP Desk

Related Articles

As Jharkhand turns 24, a reason to celebrate and a reality check
Jharkhand stands at a crossroads. The state must strike a balance between preserving its rich cultural heritage and meeting the demands of modernization and...
How Ambedkar began mobilizing for conversion 20 years before the event
Ambedkar said that religious conversion was no child’s play and that it couldn’t be achieved with merely political measures. It had to be realized...
Ambedkar’s hitherto unseen intercontinental-travel and census records, some of which expose baseless claims
A powerful, authoritative biography of Dr Ambedkar, one that is based solely on hard, verifiable evidence, and not hearsay, is yet to be written....
Ambedkar the democrat shone in the making of the Indian Constitution
Unlimited powers were not vested in the Indian president. Instead, it was Parliament which was vested with all the powers. That was meant to...
Jagdeo Prasad wanted to forge a national confederation representing the exploited classes
‘DMK has been formed in Madras, Shoshit Dal in Bihar and Rashtriya Shoshit Sangh in Uttar Pradesh to secure freedom from the upper-caste imperialists....