Ambedkar Tourist Circuit

Q. Why is this in news ?
A.

The Central government has announced a special tourist circuit encompassing five key sites associated with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

• Activists have urged that Mahad, located in Raigad District of Maharashtra, famous for Mahad Lake Satyagraha should also be included in the proposed circuit.

Q. What is Ambedkar Circuit?

A. 

• The five cities in the tourist circuit as announced are Mhow (his birthplace), London (where he resided and studied), Nagpur (also studied here), Delhi (where he passed away) and finally Mumbai (where he was cremated).
• With a special AC train, the government is looking to trace the footsteps of Ambedkar in India by giving better connectivity to four of these spots.
• The idea is to attract tourists beyond the Dalit community, who mostly visit these places as a pilgrimage.
• The journey will include meals, ground transportation, and entry to the sites.

Q. What about the sites?

A. 

1. Janma Bhoomi– Ambedkar’s birthplace in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow
2. Shiksha Bhoomi– the place in London where he stayed while studying in the UK
3. Deeksha Bhoomi– the place in Nagpur where he embraced Buddhism
4. Mahaparinirvan Bhoomi- the place of his demise in Delhi and
5. Chaitya Bhoomi- the place of his cremation in Mumbai

Q. What are Tourism Circuits?

A. 

• The government had identified 15 tourist circuits under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme in 2014-15.
• Besides the Ramayana and Buddhist Circuits, others include Coastal Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit, Heritage, North East, Himalayan, Sufi, Krishna, Rural, Tribal, and Tirthankar Circuits.
• In terms of train collaboration, the Ramayana, Buddhist, and North East Circuits are already active, while Ambedkar will be fourth.