Ambedkar Manimandapam - Pondicherry    Share

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Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956), popularly known as Babasaheb, was an Indian lawyer, politician and academic who inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against social discrimination in India, striving for equal rights for the Dalit. As independent India's first law minister, he was the principal architect of the Constitution of India. Overcoming numerous social and financial obstacles, Ambedkar became one of the first "untouchables" to obtain a college education in India. Eventually earning law degrees and multiple doctorates for his study and research in law, economics and political science from Columbia University and the London School of Economics, Ambedkar returned home a famous scholar and practiced law for a few years before publishing journals advocating political rights and social freedom for India's untouchables. In his early career he was a private tutor, professor, and lawyer. His later life was marked by his political activities, where he became involved in the negotiations for India's independence, contributing significantly to the establishment of the state of India. In 1956 he converted to Buddhism, initiating mass conversions of Dalits. He has been given the degree of Bodhisattva by Indian Buddhist Bhikkues. Ambedkar was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1990.