FROM CASTE TO COMPASSION : DR. B.R. AMBEDKAR AND THE REVIVAL OF BUDDHISM IN INDIA

This paper examines Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's pivotal role in the modern revival of Buddhism in India and situates that revival within his larger project of social and political emancipation for the so-called "untouchable" castes. It traces Ambedkar's intellectual critique of Hindu scriptural authority and caste, his turn to Buddhism as both ethical philosophy and social strategy, the defining events of October 1956 (when he embraced Buddhism and led mass conversions), and the formation of Navayana (Ambedkar's reinterpretation of Buddhism). The analysis shows that Ambedkar did not adopt Buddhism merely as a private faith; he reinterpreted Buddhist teachings to confront hierarchy, dignity denial, and structural inequality, thus transforming a religious conversion into a collective, emancipatory act. The paper also addresses scholarly responses to Ambedkar's project, the movement's sociopolitical effects (including identity formation, cultural critique, and electoral politics), and enduring debates about doctrinal fidelity versus social pragmatism. I conclude that Ambedkar's engagement with Buddhism must be read as a socio-ethical programme that fused religious symbolism, moral philosophy, and political strategy - a conjoined project that reshaped modern Indian social movements and widened the possibilities for anti-caste resistance. Key implications for scholarship include reassessing religion as activism, interrogating the tensions between reform and tradition, and appreciating how religious conversion can operate as a political instrument for dignity and rights.