List Of Buddhist Conversions In India
Since Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar's conversion, several thousand people from different castes have converted to Buddhism in ceremonies including the twenty-two vows.
List of Buddhist conversions
In 1956, Ambedkar adopted Buddhism with lakhs of people as "Dalits' path to liberation". Therefore, there is a lot of interest towards Buddhism among the Indian society especially Dalits. Being influenced by Ambedkar, every year thousands of people accept Buddhism. Most of the converts have come from Hindu Dalit community, who consider Ambedkar as their Messiah or liberator. Influenced by Ambedkar, many famous people have embraced Buddhism, including people like Mallikarjun Kharge, Ramdas Athawale, Udit Raj, Laxman Mane, Poolan Devi, Sushma Andhare, Eknath Awad, etc.
| Date | Place | Converted people | Former religion/caste/category | Source and Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 October 1956 | Deekshabhoomi, Nagpur, Maharashtra | Approx. 500,000 (including B. R. Ambedkar, Savita Ambedkar, Bhaurao Gaikwad, Gangadhar Pantawne etc.) | Mostly Hindus (dalit or SC), and some Muslims, Christians and Sikhs | B. R. Ambedkar and his wife Savita first embraced Buddhism through Mahathero Chandramani. Then became a Buddhist, B. R. Ambedkar converted all people to Buddhism. |
| 15 October 1956 | Deekshabhoomi, Nagpur, Maharashtra | approx. 300,000 | Mostly Hindus (dalit or SC), and some Muslims, Christians and Sikhs | B. R. Ambedkar converted all people to Buddhism. These were people who did not reach the conversion program on 14 October in time. |
| 16 October 1956 | Chandrapur, Maharashtra | more than 300,000 | Mostly Hindus (dalit or SC) | B. R. Ambedkar converted all people to Buddhism. |
| 7 December 1956 | Chaitya Bhoomi, Mumbai, Maharashtra | More than 1,000,000 | Mostly Hindus (dalit or SC) | It is the biggest religious conversation. Ambedkar had pledged to take a conversion program in Mumbai on 16 December, but he died on 6 December. So at the time of Ambedkar's funeral, people accepted Buddhism by witnessing his dead body. Bhadant Anand Kausalyayan converted all people to Buddhism. |
| December 1956 | Delhi | 30,000 | Mostly Hindus (dalit or SC) | People converted to Buddhism by witnessing the ashes or bones of Ambedkar. |
| December 1956 | Agra, Uttar Pradesh | 20,000 | Mostly Hindus (dalit or SC) | People converted to Buddhism by witnessing the ashes or bones of Ambedkar. |
| 13 April 1957 | Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh | 200,000 | Mostly Hindus (dalit or SC) | People converted to Buddhism by witnessing the ashes or bones of Ambedkar. Sangharakshita converted all people to Buddhism. |
| 1985 | Junagadh, Gujarat | 5,000 | Hindus dalit or SC) | |
| 4 November 2001 | Delhi | 50,000 | Hindu dalits (SC) | Buddhist leader and political activist, Udit Raj, organised the large mass conversion. |
| 14 October 2006 | Gulburga, Karnataka | Hundreds of people | Hindu dalits | Bhante Bodhi Dhamma, senior Japanes bhikkhu, conducted the 'deeksha' ceremony. Mallikarjun Kharge was the chief guest of the program. |
| 27 May 2007 | Mumbai, Maharashtra | 100,000, incl. Laxman Mane | Maharashtra's VJ-NT Hindus of 42 different castes | The conversion has done by under the leadership of Ramdas Athawale and Laxman Mane. |
| 13 October 2016 | Ahmadabad, Kalol, and Gandhinagar and Surendranagar cities, Gujarat | 211 | Hindu Dalit | |
| October 2016 | Gandhinagar and Surendranagar, Gujarat | 2,000 | Hindu dalit or SC) | |
| May 2017 | Saharanpur district, Uttar Pradesh | 850 | 150 families of Hindu dalit or SC) | |
| 14 April 2016 | Dadar, Mumbai, Maharashtra | 2; Rohit Vemula's mother Radhika Vemula, and brother Raja Vemula | Hindu Dalit | Prakash Ambedkar converted these persons to Buddhism. |
| 1 October 2017 | Ahmadabad and Baroda, in Gujarat | More than 300 | Hindu Dalit | |
| 25 December 2016 | Deekshabhoomi | 5,000 | Hindu OBC | |
| 25 December 2017 | Deekshabhoomi | 5,000 | Hindu OBC, and Christians and Muslims | |
| 11 April 2018 | Shirasgaon, Maharashtra | More than 500 | Hindu Dalits | |
| 29 April 2018 | Una, Gujarat | 300 - 350 | Hindu Dalits | |
| 2 June 2018 | Ladakh Bhavan, Delhi | 120 | Hindu Dalits | People from Haryana |
| 19 October 2018 | Pukharayan village, Kanpur Dehat district, Uttar Pradesh | More than 10,000 | Hindu SC and OBC | |
| 18 October 2018, on Dhammachakra Pravartan Day | Deekshabhoomi, Nagpur, Maharashtra | 62,000 | Hindus (dalit or SC) | Surai Sasai converted all people to Buddhism. |
| 6–8 October 2019, on Dhammachakra Pravartan Day | Deekshabhoomi, Nagpur, Maharashtra | 67,543 | Hindus (dalit or SC) | Surai Sasai converted all people to Buddhism. |
| 8 October 2019, on Dhamma chakra Pravartan Din | Ahmadabad, Mehsana, and Idar (Sambarkantha district) in Gujarat | 500 | Hindu SC | |
| 27 October 2019 | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial, Shahibaug, Ahmadabad, Gujarat | 1,500 | SC Hindus | |
| 14 October 2020 | Hathras, Ghaziabad district, Uttar Pradesh | 236 | Valmiki (SC Hindus) | Valmiki (Balmiki) people adopted Buddhism in protest against Hathras case. |
References
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