Neo-Buddhist Spiritual Transition through Spatial Transformation: A Redevelopment Proposal for Deekshabhoomi, Nagpur

Abstract

Having an individual as well as a collective social identity is a basic necessity for humans to have a sense of belonging. Religion has always played a huge role in providing an identity, and in several cases, even a way of life. Belonging to a religion provides an individual with an identity, helps them feel connected to other people having the same preferences, backgrounds, upbringing, cherish their common heritage, through observation of rites, rituals, and celebration of festivals. All religions require recognizable and tangible physical embodiments of various facets of their whole belief system to fortify their faith. Hence, the presence of symbols, images, paintings, sculptures, religious buildings, and other visual imagery reminds of and strengthens their faith in their religion. People of a particular community oriented towards a same faith recognize and experience a connate affiliation with similar pieces of imagery. This affiliation with their faith transcends among them and emanates a sense of belonging within the community. Being deprived of this feeling of sense of belonging would cause an individual to question their position and identity in the society. The presence of a physical structure belonging to a particular group, representing in function and form their own ideologies, faiths and beliefs is a validation of their existence and proof of acceptance in the society. As the oppressed classes of the caste Hindu society began a struggle to break the chains of injustice and indiscrimination, they came to realize that the only path that promises their emancipation is accepting other religions. Following the footsteps of their leader, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, they chose to accept Buddhism through his own new school of Buddhist thought, ‘Navayana’, meaning ‘new vehicle’. In a struggle to break the chains of injustice and discrimination, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, also known as the Architect of The Constitution of India led 600,000 of his followers on a path to emancipation. On 14th October 1956, the day of Ashok Vijaya Dashami, Dr. Ambedkar and his followers gathered in Nagpur, the city of the Naga people to convert to Buddhism. Formerly known as Dalits, and classified by the caste Hindu society as ‘untouchables’, the now Neo-Buddhists became the first group of people to accept Navayana - A new school of Buddhism interpreted by Dr. Ambedkar himself. The site on which the conversion took place came to be known as Deekshabhoomi as ‘Deeksha’ means the ‘act of ordaining’ and ‘bhoomi’ means ground. Since 1956, Deekshabhoomi is flocked every year on the same day by lakhs of Dalits to convert to Buddhism. Visiting the site is the beginning of a new life for them. The construction of a Stupa on the site in 2001 added a religious character to the site and became a memorial to the revolution that the conversion was. But, this new life has to be led with the practice of the new faith. Though the site is a symbol of the new bright future gifted to them by Dr. Ambedkar, it barely talks about its historic and religious importance, and its faith in Navayana Buddhism. Also, the site does not provide any dedicated spaces for the Neo – Buddhist Rituals to take place. A redevelopment of the Deekshabhoomi Complex could help in representing the history and the ideals of the NeoBuddhists and also function to serve as a platform for their socio-cultural activities, thus, using the site to its full potential.