Legacy

Dr. Ambedkar died only weeks after starting the biggest change of his life. Yet his work did not stop. His followers kept his party, his religion and his campaigns going. Over the decades his ideas spread through politics, literature, law and universities, in India and abroad.

Columbia University’s timeline puts it simply: he “remains a symbolic presence and rallying point for Dalits”, both those who became Buddhists and those who did not Columbia University – Pritchett timeline, “since then”. (Dalit, meaning “broken” or “oppressed”, is the name many communities once called “untouchable” chose for themselves.)

A new party: the Republican Party of India

On 13 October 1956, the day before his conversion, Dr. Ambedkar told journalists he wanted to start a new political party called the Republican Party. It would be open to everyone who accepted three principles: liberty, equality and fraternity Keer, Dr. Ambedkar: Life and Mission, 3rd ed., p. 498. On 4 December 1956, two days before he died, he wrote to Maharashtra leaders P. K. Atre and S. M. Joshi, inviting them to join it Keer, p. 511.

After his death his followers formed the Republican Party of India (RPI) in 1957 Keer, p. 520. His biographer Dhananjay Keer was critical. He wrote that it was mostly the old Scheduled Castes Federation under a new name, that no major leader from other communities joined, and that it soon split into factions Keer, pp. 520–521.

The Buddhist movement keeps growing

Conversions continued after 1956. His book The Buddha and His Dhamma was published in 1957 BAWS Vol. 11, title page. It became like a gospel for the new Buddhists. The scholar-monk Bhadant Anand Kausalyayan translated it into Hindi in 1961 BAWS Vol. 11, Vasant Moon’s preface, pp. vii–viii.

India’s 2011 Census counted about 84.4 lakh (8.44 million) Buddhists. About 65.3 lakh of them lived in Maharashtra, where the 1956 conversions began Pew Research Center – 2011 Census counts by state.

Every year on Dussehra, Ambedkarite Buddhists gather at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur for Dhammachakra Pravartan Din (“the day the wheel of the Dhamma was set turning again”). In 2024 it was celebrated for the 68th time The Hitavada, 12 October 2024.

Dalit Panthers and a new literature

In the 1960s a new wave of Dalit writing grew in Marathi, and young readers turned to authors such as Anna Bhau Sathe and Baburao Bagul. In 1972, young Ambedkarite Buddhists in Bombay, many of them poets, formed the Dalit Panther. Its founders included Namdeo Dhasal, J. V. Pawar and Raja Dhale, and its aim was to fight atrocities against Dalits The Quint – “50 Years On, Legacy of Dalit Panther…”.

Co-founder J. V. Pawar dates its launch to 29 May 1972. He wrote that Dr. Ambedkar “was standing on the shoulders of Buddha and Krantiba Jotiba Phule”, and that the movement after his death rested on the foundation he had built Forward Press – J. V. Pawar, “The day when they said ‘enough is enough’…”. Dhasal’s poetry book Golpitha, published around the same time, is now seen as a milestone in Marathi literature The Quint.

Namantar: a university takes his name

In 1978 a campaign began to rename Marathwada University after Dr. Ambedkar. It was called the Namantar (“renaming”) movement. Some groups opposed to the change attacked the campaigners, and a memorial in Nagpur remembers 27 activists who were killed Scroll – “Why the 16-year campaign to rename Marathwada University after BR Ambedkar still matters” (2026).

After 16 years, on 14 January 1994, a compromise was reached. The institution became Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, adding his name instead of replacing the old one Scroll.

His words, collected at last

For years most of his writings were hard to find. Many were unpublished typescripts and handwritten drafts found among his papers Columbia University – Pritchett timeline, 1950s. On 14 April 1979 the Education Department of the Government of Maharashtra began publishing Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches (BAWS). Volume 1 was compiled by Vasant Moon BAWS Vol. 1, front matter BAWS Vol. 1, publication details.

The series grew slowly over two decades. For example, Volume 14 first appeared in 1995 and Volume 16 in 1998 BAWS Vol. 14 Part 1, front matter BAWS Vol. 16, front matter. The Dr. Ambedkar Foundation of the central government has reprinted the set, and published Hindi volumes in 2019 BAWS Vol. 17 Part 3, front matter. By 2003 the collected works had been translated into 11 Indian languages PIB, 2 December 2003.

Bharat Ratna, 1990

In 1990, more than thirty years after his death, India gave him the Bharat Ratna, its highest civilian award Permanent Mission of India to the UN, Geneva.

Memorials: the Panchteerth

The central government calls five places linked to his life the Panchteerth (“five places of pilgrimage”). In 2018 it listed them as: his birthplace at Mhow (Madhya Pradesh); Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur; the house in London where he lived as a student; the Mahaparinirvan Bhoomi at 26 Alipur Road, Delhi; and Chaitya Bhoomi in Mumbai PIB, 13 April 2018.

• Deekshabhoomi, Nagpur. A large stupa stands on the conversion ground. It was inaugurated on 18 December 2001 by President K. R. Narayanan Deekshabhoomi official website.
• Chaitya Bhoomi, Mumbai. The memorial at his cremation site in Dadar draws lakhs of visitors every 6 December Forward Press.
• 26 Alipur Road, Delhi. Dedicated to the nation in 2003. A new memorial shaped like an open book, in honour of his role in drafting the Constitution, opened on 13 April 2018 PIB, 2 December 2003 PIB, 13 April 2018.
• London. The Dr. Ambedkar Memorial at King Henry’s Road, which the Prime Minister called the place where Dr. Ambedkar “pursued his quest for knowledge”, was inaugurated on 14 November 2015 PIB, 14 November 2015.
• Mhow. His birthplace in Madhya Pradesh is part of the same list PIB, 13 April 2018.

In Delhi, the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre at 15 Janpath, with a library and research centre, opened on 7 December 2017 PIB, 7 December 2017.

Giant statues

Statues of Dr. Ambedkar stand in towns and cities all over India. Columbia’s timeline notes they often “become sites of political struggle” Columbia University – Pritchett timeline, “since then”. Recent ones are enormous:

• Hyderabad (2023). A 125-foot statue on a 50-foot pedestal beside Hussain Sagar lake, unveiled on 14 April 2023 by Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao DT Next, 14 April 2023.
• Vijayawada (2024). The “Statue of Social Justice”: a 125-foot bronze statue on an 81-foot base, 206 feet in all, unveiled on 19 January 2024 by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy The South First.
• Maryland, USA (2023). A 19-foot “Statue of Equality” by sculptor Ram Sutar, unveiled on 14 October 2023 near Washington, D.C. DT Next / PTI, 15 October 2023.

Honoured around the world

Columbia University, where he studied, gave him an honorary doctorate in 1952. It called him “one of India’s leading citizens—a great social reformer and a valiant upholder of human rights” Columbia University – Pritchett timeline, 1950s. Columbia installed a bust of him in 1995, and held a conference on caste and his legacy in 2009 Columbia University – Pritchett timeline, “since then”. India has sent research students on study tours to Columbia and to the London School of Economics, where he also studied PIB, 13 April 2018.

The United Nations marked his birth anniversary for the first time on 13 April 2016, at an event in New York on fighting inequality. The UNDP head, Helen Clark, called him “an icon for marginalised people in India and in other countries”, according to the news agency PTI The Quint / PTI, 14 April 2016. India’s mission in Geneva held a similar event on 14 April 2016 Permanent Mission of India, Geneva.

Others have followed. British Columbia in Canada declared 14 April 2021 “Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Equality Day” The Sentinel, 12 April 2021. New York City proclaimed 14 April 2025 “Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar Day” The Tribune, 15 April 2025.

Ambedkar Jayanti, 14 April

His birthday, 14 April, is celebrated as Ambedkar Jayanti or Bhim Jayanti, with huge processions Columbia University – Pritchett timeline, “since then”. Keer records that Maharashtra declared it a public holiday under Chief Minister Yashwantrao Chavan Keer, p. 520. India’s mission to the UN in Geneva describes it today as a public holiday Permanent Mission of India, Geneva.

His influence on law and society

• The Constitution and reservations. As chief drafter, he helped write a Constitution that abolished untouchability and banned discrimination. He also won support for reserved places in government jobs, schools and colleges for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other backward classes Permanent Mission of India, Geneva.
• Labour law. As Labour Member in the Government of India, on 21 February 1946 he moved a bill to cut the factory working week from 54 to 48 hours in factories that worked all year BAWS Vol. 10, p. 326.
• Women’s rights. He also moved changes to maternity benefits for women working in mines BAWS Vol. 10, p. 87. As Law Minister he drafted the Hindu Code Bill, which “included greatly expanded rights for women”, and resigned in 1951 when it was not backed Columbia University – Pritchett timeline, 1950s.
• Anti-caste movements worldwide. In February 2023 Seattle became the first city in the United States to ban caste discrimination. Ambedkarite groups welcomed the move, while some Hindu American groups opposed it Scroll, 22 February 2023.

Why his work is still scattered

Even today, reading Dr. Ambedkar is not simple. In 2026 the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment set Smart India Hackathon problem SIH26096. It asks students to build an AI-powered digital archive of his life and work. Its background says that his writings, speeches, constitutional debates and manuscripts are:

“spread across libraries, memorials, archives, and fragmented digital sources, making them difficult to access and preserve.”

— Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Smart India Hackathon 2026 brief SIH26096 SIH26096 problem statement (copy of the official listing)

Our own research for this website shows why:

• His papers were split up. Some manuscripts reached the Maharashtra government only in 1979, from the Administrator General of Maharashtra BAWS Vol. 17 Part 2, p. 96 BAWS Vol. 16. Another typed outline was held by the People’s Education Society in Bombay BAWS Vol. 12, p. 77.
• Some books were never finished. Editors had to rebuild Buddha or Karl Marx from three typed copies, and could find only parts of Revolution and Counter-Revolution BAWS Vol. 3, pp. 149 and 439.
• Pieces went missing. The preface he wrote for The Buddha and His Dhamma was left out of the 1957 book. Keer called this “a mystery”, and the full text appeared only later Keer, pp. 519–520 Columbia University – unpublished preface.
• Many speeches were in Marathi, such as his Nagpur speech of 15 October 1956, so English readers depend on different translations (see chapter 10) BAWS Vol. 17 Part 3, p. 533.

This website is one attempt to bring these scattered pieces together in one place, with a link to the source of every fact.

Where sources disagree

• Dalit Panther founding date. J. V. Pawar gives 29 May 1972. Other accounts say “around June–July 1972” and note “a fair bit of controversy” over the exact date Forward Press – Pawar The Quint.
• When BAWS volumes first appeared. Most reprinted volumes print “First Edition … 14 April, 1979”, the start date of the series. But Columbia gives 1992 for Volume 11, and Volumes 14 and 16 print 1995 and 1998 BAWS Vol. 11, front matter Columbia – editor’s introduction BAWS Vol. 16.
• Which five places are the Panchteerth. A 2017 government release listed the Indu Mill memorial site in Mumbai instead of Chaitya Bhoomi; the 2018 release lists Chaitya Bhoomi PIB, 7 December 2017 PIB, 13 April 2018.
• “World’s tallest” statue. Both the Hyderabad and Vijayawada statues are 125 feet tall. Vijayawada is taller overall because of its 81-foot base, against Hyderabad’s 50-foot pedestal DT Next The South First.
• Wording of the SIH26096 brief. The brief says “spread across”, not “scattered across”, as it is sometimes paraphrased SIH26096.

Read more

• Columbia University – Pritchett timeline, “since then” — events and reading on his legacy.
• Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches (MEA PDFs) — the official collected works (change the volume number in the link).
• Forward Press – J. V. Pawar on the founding of the Dalit Panther — a co-founder’s own account.
• Scroll – the Namantar campaign — why the 16-year struggle still matters.
• PIB – Dr. Ambedkar National Memorial (2018) — memorials and the Panchteerth.
• SIH26096 problem statement — the government’s own description of the scattered archive.