Ambedkar, Savarkar and Buddhism

In 1952, Ambedkar declared that as there was no untouchability in Buddhism he would convert to that religion.   Savarkar replied to Ambedkar's statement in his "Six Glorious Epochs in Indian History". Quoting descriptions of contemporary Chinese travelers, Savarkar said that those castes (like Chandals) that did not stop killing animals, no matter what punishments were meted to them by Buddhist rulers, fled their villages and had to announce their arrival with bells or drums.  

On 01 August 1956, Savarkar wrote an article, "You will be worse off by embracing Buddhism."  He questioned whether the Mahars (the caste to which Ambedkar belonged) could honestly say that when they became Buddhists, their feelings towards Chamars, Maangs and Dhors whom they regarded as untouchables would change overnight? 

He also questioned why Ambedkar who was showering abuses on Hindu Dharma and accusing it of superstition kept mum on the numerous superstitions in Islam and Christianity.   Savarkar had made a deep study of Buddhism. 

He debunked Ambedkar's contention that Buddhism was free of superstition.  "You make fun of tree-worship by Hindus, then how come you worship the Bodhi tree";

you criticize the offerings made to Brahmins; but the burden imposed society by lakhs of alms-seeking Buddhist monks was at least a hundred times more;

you say that Buddhism does not believe in God, deities, soul and re-incarnation but from Manchuria to Indo-China millions of Buddhists have raised the Buddha to the status of God and they believe in Indra, Varun, Laksmi, Saraswati, Yakshas and Kinnars and narrate stories of the Buddha's numerous past lives" was his pointed counter to Ambedkar and his followers. 

When Ambedkar finally embraced Buddhism, Savarkar termed it as a change of sect rather than a change of religion.   He said that so long as Ambedkar remained an Indian Buddhist, he continued to remain in the ambit of Hindutva as his fatherland and holy land continued to be Bharat.

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