Nagpur traffic police have closed the roads around Deekshabhoomi until late on Thursday, October 22, as lakhs of Buddhist followers arrive for the 70th Dhammachakra Pravartan Din on Tuesday, October 20. Central Railway has shut car parking and stopped platform ticket sales at Nagpur and Ajni stations for the same stretch, and has added special trains from Mumbai, Pune, Solapur, Nashik Road, Akola and Bhusaval.
If you live or work between Ramdaspeth, Bajaj Nagar and Laxminagar, or plan to drop someone at either station this week, your usual route will not work.
Why the 70th year draws bigger crowds
Dr B R Ambedkar embraced Buddhism with several lakh followers at Deekshabhoomi on October 14, 1956. Followers mark the day each year on Ashoka Vijayadashami, which coincides with Dussehra, so the city handles two large gatherings at once: Deekshabhoomi and the Dragon Palace temple in Kamptee on one side, Ravan Dahan at 64 grounds and the RSS Vijayadashami programme on the other. This year marks 70 years since the conversion, and both the police and the railway have planned for a larger turnout than usual.
Police have put thousands of personnel on the streets. Nagpur Today reports the citywide figure at about 5,000, with more than 1,500 posted at Deekshabhoomi and drones watching the approach roads. If the grounds fill up, officers may hold visitors at nearby squares until the crowd inside thins.
Roads closed and how to get around them
According to the traffic branch plan reported by Navarashtra, the Deekshabhoomi restrictions run from 9 am on October 18 to 10 pm on October 22. Vehicles cannot use these stretches in either direction:
- Kachipura Chowk to Mata Kacheri Chowk
- Kachipura Chowk to the Kalpana Building T-point, Ramdaspeth
- Mata Kacheri Chowk to Kripalani turning, NEERI Road T-point and Laxminagar Chowk
Kachipura to Bajaj Nagar stays open for city buses and ST buses only. Drivers coming down Wardha Road towards Mata Kacheri should turn left at Ajni Metro station onto the RPTS road. Between Janta Chowk and Bajaj Nagar, police suggest Panchsheel, Jhansi Rani, Library and Alankar chowks. Residents and office-goers inside the cordon need a pass from the Sonegaon traffic inspector on Wardha Road or from Sonegaon police station.
Visitors can park at Dharampeth Science College, Rani Laxmibai Sabhagruh, Dharampeth College ground, the Bajaj Nagar volleyball ground, LAD College and the Laxminagar zone office, among other grounds both outlets list. In Kamptee, police have barred vehicles from the Porwal College Road Y-point to the Bhoyar College T-point near Dragon Palace from October 19 to 22.
At the stations: no car parking, no platform tickets
Central Railway expects about 2.5 lakh extra passengers at Nagpur and Ajni between October 19 and 22, Prahaar reports. Both stations have closed car parking for those four days and stopped selling platform tickets, so if you are seeing off a relative, plan to say goodbye at the gate. The railway has set up holding areas with fans, seating and mobile toilets on the Santra Market (east) side of Nagpur station and in the Ajni parking area, plus mobile ticket counters and help booths.
Return specials leaving Nagpur, as listed by The Live Nagpur from Central Railway’s notice:
- To CSMT (01020): 10.30 pm on October 20 and 22
- To Pune (01216): 11 pm on October 20 and 22
- To Solapur (01030): 11.30 pm on October 20
- To Nashik Road (01218): 10 pm on October 21
- To Akola (01131) and Bhusaval (01214): 6.40 pm and 9.30 pm on October 20 and 21
Most of these trains carry general second-class coaches. PuneNow says you can book the Pune special on UTS or the RailOne app at regular fares. PuneNow reports that railway officials have revised the Pune special’s schedule, so confirm timings on NTES or 139 before you leave for the station. South Central Railway separately runs Bidar–Ajni specials until October 21.
What to watch
Tuesday night looks the busiest at the station: the Mumbai, Pune and Solapur specials all leave between 10.30 pm and 11.30 pm on October 20. On the roads, the diversions send Wardha Road traffic through Ajni and the RPTS road, so allow extra time there until Thursday night. Traffic officers can change the diversions on the spot as crowds shift, so follow their instructions over any map app.
Sources: Navarashtra, Nagpur Today, Prahaar, The Live Nagpur, PuneNow
This report was written with AI assistance from the publicly reported sources linked here; each fact was cross-checked against at least two of them.