Chaitya Bhoomi - Cremation place, Mumbai
It is here that Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was cremated after his death on December 6, 2017. Earlier known as Dadar Chowpatty, the Chaitya Bhoomi is one of the most revered places for Ambedkar's followers, consists of a memorial of the leader. The two-storey construction erected over Dr. Ambedkar’s cremation place looks like a stupa. Its architecture is inspired from Babasaheb’s religious and philosophical quest . With Vedic shmashana (śmāśāna) as a prototype the stupa represents a sort of a burial construction that may contain relics. Dr. Ambedkar’s
ashes, the main relic in Chaityabhoomi, rest in a small, square ground-floor room. Sculptures and portraits of Dr. Ambedkar and the Buddha are also there, It is decorated with bright flower garlands. The second floor—a white marble cupola—houses a rest hall for bhikkhus; the cupola is surrounded by a square-shaped railing and topped by a chatra (a pillar carrying three umbrella-like disks). Similarly to Buddhist shrines, the stupa is far from being pompous, and its design is quite simple. Torana (torana) gateways are located to the North and South of the stupa; they are decorated with reliefs depicting people, animals, and flowers and are topped with the dharmachakra, an ancient image symbolizing Buddha’s teaching. The memorial was inaugurated by Meerabai Yashwantrao Ambedkar, the daughter-in-law of Dr Ambedkar on December 5, 1971. On December 6 every year, lakhs of followers visit Chaitya Bhoomi to pay homage to Dr. Ambedkar. The task of developing the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Memorial at Chaitanya Bhoomi in Mumbai is in progress. In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed Bhoomi Pujan for the site.