Navayāna Buddhism, often associated with Ambedkar’s reinterpretation of the Buddhist path in terms of equality and social justice, arose in India and remains most deeply rooted there. Its largest communities are found among Dalits, especially in regions such as Maharashtra, where it functions both as a spiritual orientation and as a vehicle for dignity and liberation. In this sense, India is the heartland of Navayāna, the place where its symbols, rituals, and collective memory are most fully woven into everyday life.

Yet the life of this tradition does not stop at India’s borders. Through migration and the wider spread of Ambedkar’s thought, Navayāna has taken root among diaspora communities in various Western countries, where practitioners carry forward its emphasis on equality in new cultural settings. It is also present in neighboring societies such as Nepal and Sri Lanka, and in other Asian and Western contexts where Indian communities have settled or where individuals have been drawn to its social-ethical vision. These communities may be comparatively small, but they testify to a pattern: the reinterpretation of the Dharma in the light of social emancipation speaks across boundaries of nation and culture.

At the same time, the numerical and institutional center of gravity remains firmly in India. Outside India, Navayāna is often practiced in more modest, sometimes loosely organized forms, whether in small congregations, study circles, or personal commitments shaped by Ambedkar’s writings. Even where people do not explicitly label themselves as Navayāna Buddhists, Ambedkar’s understanding of Buddhism as a path of social transformation has influenced how some practitioners and scholars approach the tradition. Thus, while geographically dispersed, the movement’s core inspiration continues to flow from its Indian source, radiating outward through those who seek a Buddhism inseparable from the struggle for human equality.