Geri3389994518 at 16:35, 22 March 2026

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{{Short description|National Memorial in India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Dr. Ambedkar National Memorial
| image = Sankalp Bhoomi, life-size statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar sitting under the Banyan Tree, at the Dr. Ambedkar National Memorial, in Delhi.jpg
| image_caption = Ambekdar sitting under a banyan tree
| map_caption = Location in New Delhi
| mapframe-zoom = 17
| former_names = 26 Alipur Road, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Parinirvan Sthal
| building_type =
| architectural_style =
| address = 26 Sham Nath Marg
| location_city = [[New Delhi]]
| location_country = [[India]]
| groundbreaking_date = 2016-03-21
| construction_start_date = 2016
| construction_stop_date = 2018
| inauguration_date = 2018-04-13
| cost = 99.64 crore<ref name="CPWD"/>
| owner = [[Government of India]]
| governing_body = [[Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment]]
| floor_count = 4 (3 basements and ground floor)<ref name="CPWD"/>
| parking = Basement 2 and 3 (capacity: 54 cars)<ref name="CPWD"/>
| public_transit = [[Delhi Metro]]: [[Vidhan Sabha metro station|Vidhan Sabha]] and [[Civil Lines metro station (Delhi)|Civil Lines]]
| website = {{URL|http://ambedkarfoundation.nic.in/danm.html|ambedkarfoundation.nic.in}}
}}
'''Dr. Ambedkar National Memorial''', also known as also known as '''Mahaparinirvan Bhoomi''' or '''Mahaparinirvan Sthal''', is a memorial in India's national capital [[New Delhi]], dedicated to anti-caste activist and political leader [[B. R. Ambedkar]]. The site is the location of '''26 Alipur Road''', a now-demolished bungalow where Ambedkar lived from 1951 until his death in 1956.

The [[Government of India]] acquired the site in 2003, and built a makeshift memorial at the site. The present-day memorial, which includes a museum with several exhibits, was built during 2016-2018.

== History ==

As the [[Ministry of Law and Justice (India)|Minister of Law]] in the [[First Nehru ministry]], Ambedkar lived at the official residences in India's national capital Delhi, first 22 [[Prithviraj Road]] and then 1 Hardinge Avenue.<ref name="DCA_1992">{{cite book |author=D. C. Ahir |title=Dr. Ambedkar and Punjab |publisher=B.R. |year=1992 |isbn=9788170187363 |pages=49–52 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9ABIAAAAMAAJ }}</ref> In September 1951, he resigned from the cabinet following the impasse over the [[Hindu Code Bill]]. Subsequently, he and his wife [[Savita Ambedkar|Savita]] moved to 26 Alipur Road (also spelt Alipore Road), a 10-room bungalow rented from the former ruler of [[Sirohi State|Sirohi]].<ref name="Shobhna_2016">{{cite book |editor1=S. Anand |editor2=Shobhna Iyer |author=B.R. Ambedkar |title=Riddles in Hinduism: The Annotated Critical Edition |year=2016 |publisher=Navayana |isbn=9788189059774 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rgDVjwEACAAJ |pages=8–9 }}</ref>

Ambedkar's assistant [[Nanak Chand Rattu]] visited 26 Alipur Road every evening, and typed several of his works there during 1951-1956.<ref name="Shobhna_2016"/> Ambedkar died at the bungalow on 6 December 1956.<ref name="BS_2018"/> Savita Ambedkar continued to live there, and Ambedkar's papers remained in a storeroom. In 1966, Madan Lal Jain purchased the bungalow: he allowed Savita Ambedkar to retain two rooms, gave one part of the building to his son-in-law, and rented another part to an Additional Sessions Judge.<ref name="Shobhna_2016"/>

In 1967, Jain started the process to evict Savita Ambedkar, and the Additional Rent Controller served her the eviction notice on 17 January. A few days later, when Savita Ambedkar was away in [[Alwar]], Jain and his son-law entered the bungalow with three bailiffs and 20 musclemen. They forced Savita Ambedkar's servant Mohan Singh to hand over the keys to her rooms, entered her rooms, and dumped her belongings in a yard. These included several B. R. Ambedkar's papers, which were destroyed in rain that night. Savita Ambedkar later sought help of the Home Minister Y.B. Chavan and the [[Lieutenant Governor of Delhi]] [[Aditya Nath Jha|A.N. Jha]] to access her remaining belongings at the premises.<ref name="Shobhna_2016"/>

Soon after, the building was demolished and the property ownership changed. Amebdkar's surviving papers ultimately came in the possession of the Government of Maharashtra, and were later published as part of the ''Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches'' (BAWS) series.<ref name="Shobhna_2016"/>

[[Om Prakash Jindal|Jindal]] family, the new owners of the site, demolished the original building and built a new residence,<ref name="NB_2012"/> informally called the "Jindal kothi".<ref name="MAS_2015"/>

=== Development as a memorial ===

At the time of Ambedkar's birth centenary in 1991, [[Ambedkarite]]s demanded that the government acquire the house to build a memorial. More than a decade later, in 2003, the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP)-led [[National Democratic Alliance]] government purchased the site to build a memorial.<ref name="NB_2012"/> Prime Minister [[Atal Behari Vajpayee]] laid the foundation of the "Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar [[Parinirvana|Parinirvan]] Sthal" at the site, planning to build a memorial and a museum. He conceived the site as a "pilgrimage where people from home and abroad would come to seek inspiration and learn how to eradicate social injustice."<ref>{{cite news |title=Ambedkar, Gandhi equal in stature: PM |newspaper=The Tribune |location=Chandigarh |date=2003-12-02 |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20031203/nation.htm#3 |access-date=2023-01-13 }}</ref>

After the BJP lost the election in 2004, Vajpayee's project was stalled. The NDA government had set up a {{INR}} 100 [[crore]] fund, which the new [[Indian National Congress|Congress]]-led [[United Progressive Alliance|UPA]] government directed towards other projects.<ref name="NB_2012"/> The building remained a makeshift memorial managed by the government-run Dr. Ambedkar Foundation.<ref name="MAS_2015"/> In 2007, Ambedkarites submitted a memorandum to the government demanding better maintenance of the site, but the memorial remained neglected.<ref>{{cite news |author=Uravashi Sarkar |title=Ambedkar national memorial neglected |date=2009-09-17 |newspaper=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/lsquoAmbedkar-national-memorial-neglected.rsquo/article16882011.ece |access-date=2023-01-13 }}</ref> Subsequently, the government had the bungalow [[whitewash]]ed, its galleries cleaned-up, and its lawns beautified. However, the project to develop the new memorial remained on hold. In 2011, Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]] directed a high-level committee to work on the new memorial.<ref name="NB_2012"/> The committee submitted its report in 2012, and the work was assigned to [[Central Public Works Department]] in 2013.<ref name="CPWD">{{cite web |author=Tarkeshwar Tiwary |title=Dr. Ambedkar National Memorial: A Case Study on Design of Memorial |publisher=Central Public Works Department, Government of India |url=https://cpwd.gov.in/cty/writereaddata/eventdoc/EVENTFILE_23092019050947.pdf |access-date=2023-01-13 }}</ref> No actual work on the memorial commenced, and the Ambedkarites accused the UPA government of neglecting the memorial because of Ambedkar's contentious history with the Congress.<ref name="NB_2012"/>

In 2012, journalist Neha Bhatt of [[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]] described the building as neglected: it had untended grounds, no fans, and no drinking water. Few people visited the memorial, so many of the rooms remained locked. The glass showcase containing a limited edition copy of the constitution was empty, as the copy had been locked away because of security concerns. The visitors book had several comments requesting a better memorial.<ref name="NB_2012">{{cite journal |author=Neha Bhatt |title=A Fall Into Sear And Yellow Leaf |journal=Outlook |date=2012-08-12 |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/a-fall-into-sear-and-yellow-leaf/281939 |access-date=2023-01-13 }}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed">
The Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee lighting the traditional lamp to inaugurate the development of work for Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar National Memorial and Museum at a function organised by Ministry of Social Justice &.jpg | [[Atal Behari Vajpayee]] inaugurating the project in 2003

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Memorial, in New Delhi (1).jpg | [[Narendra Modi]] laying the foundation stone in 2016

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi paying floral tributes to Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar at 26 Alipur Road, Delhi.jpg | Narendra Modi inaugurating the new Memorial in 2018
</gallery>

After BJP returned to power in 2014, the [[Narendra Modi]]-led government announced plans to build a new memorial at the site. Modi accused the previous Congress-led government of closing the files related to Vajpayee's project, and delaying the construction of the new memorial for several years.<ref>{{cite news |title=Modi at Ambedkar Memorial: 'Nation ashamed of such incidents, culprits won't be spared', says PM on Kathua, Unnao cases |publisher=India TV |date=2018-04-13 |url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india-pm-modi-takes-ride-in-delhi-metro-live-updates-dr-ambedkar-national-memorial-live-streaming-lok-kalyan-metro-station-437373 }}</ref> In July 2015, the Government granted {{INR}} 99.64 crore for the construction of the new memorial.<ref name="CPWD"/>

Journalist [[Mayank Austen Soofi]], who visited the memorial in 2015, before the construction of the present-day memorial started, described it as "deserted". The memorial had a museum with a large bust of Ambedkar, wall panels depicting milestones of Ambedkar's life and excerpts from his speeches, and a copy of the Constitution of India kept in a glass case. It also had a small library, which the Foundation's editor Sudhir Hilsayan described as "just for show". There was no librarian: the books were locked inside glass almirahs, and the caretaker of the memorial did not have the keys. The library was not air-conditioned, and the only tubelight was installed by the few student visitors who pooled in the money to buy it.<ref name="MAS_2015">{{cite news |author=Mayank Austen Soofi |author-link=Mayank Austen Soofi |title=Is this really Ambedkar's House? |date=2015-06-15 |newspaper=Mint |url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/plDXmghUh3bkkKo7KBIfcN/Is-this-really-Ambedkars-House.html |access-date=2023-01-13 }}</ref>

Modi laid the foundation stone of the present-day memorial on 21 March 2016.<ref name="BS_2018"/> In 2018, the Modi government completed the project conceived by Vajpayee.<ref name="ET_NS_2018">{{cite news |author=Nidhi Sharma |title=Just in time: Narendra Modi to open Ambedkar Memorial early April |newspaper=The Economic Times |date=2018-05-28 |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/just-in-time-modi-to-open-ambedkar-memorial-early-april/articleshow/63497660.cms |access-date=2023-01-13 }}</ref> Modi inaugurated the memorial on 13 April 2018 on Ambedkar's birth anniversary.<ref name="BS_2018">{{cite news |title=Ambedkar memorial: PM Modi takes metro to attend event |newspaper=Business Standard |date=2018-04-13 |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/ambedkar-memorial-pm-modi-takes-metro-to-attend-event-118041301133_1.html | access-date=2023-01-13 }}</ref> BJP's critics accused it of attempting to [[cultural appropriation|appropriate]] Ambedkar through such memorials.<ref name="WION"/><ref>{{cite book |author=Ziya Us Salam |title=Of Saffron Flags and Skullcaps: Hindutva, Muslim Identity and the Idea of India |year=2018 |publisher=SAGE |isbn=9789352807369 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JI1cDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT73}}</ref>

== Exhibits ==

The Memorial building is in the shape of an open book which signifies the [[Constitution of India]].<ref name="WION">{{cite news |author=Annu Kaushik |title=Ambedkar National Memorial: A one of a kind experience |publisher=WION |date=2019-02-10 |url=https://www.wionews.com/opinions/ambedkar-national-memorial-a-one-of-a-kind-experience-193318 |access-date=2023-01-13 }}</ref> It houses a museum curated by the [[Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment]].<ref name="ET_NS_2018"/>

As Ambedkar had adopted [[Buddhism]], the site incorporates several Buddhist elements, including a bronze [[Ashoka pillar]] at the entrance, a [[Bodhi tree]] surrounded by fountains with that move to Buddhist chants in a sound and light show, and two [[Sanchi]]-style ''[[torana]]s'' (gateways). The memorial features 27 exhibits, including:<ref name="WION"/><ref name="ET_NS_2018"/>

* a life-size exhibit of Ambedkar sitting under a tree in [[Vadodara]] after losing his job
* a re-creation of Ambedkar's [[study (room)|study]]
* several leaders signing the first copy of the [[Constitution of India]]
* a life-size robotic statue of Ambedkar that narrates his speeches in the [[Constituent Assembly]]
* an exhibit on Ambedkar's wife [[Ramabai Bhimrao Ambedkar|Ramabai]] which shows the impact of her death on Ambedkar's life

== See also ==
* [[Statue of Social Justice]], Vijayawada
* [[Statue of Equality (Ambedkar)|Statue of Equality]], Mumbai
* [[Ambedkar Memorial Park]]
* [[List of things named after B. R. Ambedkar]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://ambedkarfoundation.nic.in/danm.html Dr. Ambedkar National Memorial (DANM)]
* {{commons category inline|Dr. Ambedkar National Memorial}}

{{Museums in Delhi}}

[[Category:Memorials to B. R. Ambedkar]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Delhi]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in New Delhi]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 2018]]
[[Category:2018 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Museums established in 2018]]
[[Category:Museums in Delhi]]
[[Category:Buddhist buildings and structures in India]]

Dr. Ambedkar National Memorial - Revision history

Geri3389994518 at 16:35, 22 March 2026