A society that asks for knowledge, not caste — that was the moral frame Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar set at the International Buddhist Mahasammelan in Chamarajanagar on Sunday, 25 October 2026, delivering one of his most philosophically expansive addresses yet and announcing concrete institutional steps to back it up.

Buddhist University proposal heads to Cabinet

The headline announcement: the Karnataka government will take up the establishment of a Buddhist University in the state Cabinet for discussion and a formal decision. Shivakumar offered no timeline — the research confirms none is yet on record — but framing it as a Cabinet agenda item signals the proposal has cleared the idea stage and entered the machinery of governance. The university would serve as an institutional anchor for Buddhist scholarship and, by extension, the state's long-standing commitment to the triad of Buddha, Basava and Ambedkar.

Bengaluru South and Belagavi in frame for next conference

Beyond the university, the Chief Minister said the next International Buddhist Conference will be hosted in Bengaluru South district. He also left the door open for Belagavi — citing the suggestion of Cabinet minister Satish Jarkiholi — and said holding two conferences a year is not objectionable. The move to rotate venues signals an intent to embed Buddhist dialogue as a recurring fixture on Karnataka's cultural calendar, not a one-off.

The 'three flames' argument for India's future

The speech's philosophical core was built around what Shivakumar called three flames: 'ಬುದ್ಧ, ಬಸವ ಮತ್ತು ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್' ('Buddha, Basava and Ambedkar'). Buddha, he said, is the symbol of knowledge; B.R. Ambedkar is the symbol of social justice. Together with the 12th-century Karnataka reformer Basava, these three represent the only path by which India can truly progress. 'Only if these three flames burn bright can India shine,' he declared. Ambedkar's 1956 conversion to Buddhism — which the Chief Minister described as an event that captured the world's attention — was held up as both a spiritual and political act: the Constitution as a living root, as essential to human life as roots are to a tree.

Reservation reframed, Prajaaseve at the doorstep

Shivakumar used the occasion to restate his government's position on reservation, framing it not as mere opportunity but as a structural mechanism to bring forward those historically excluded from opportunity. 'Reservation is not just an opportunity — it is a system that creates a path for those who have been kept away from opportunities,' he said. On governance, he invoked Buddha directly: authority exists to serve the people, not any one person. He pointed to the Prajaaseve (public service) department as the government's delivery vehicle — taking services to citizens' doorsteps rather than making citizens chase government offices.

A pilgrimage recalled, a principle restated

Closing on a personal note, the Chief Minister recalled visiting Gaya, Bihar — the sacred ground of Buddha's enlightenment — the previous year. 'Wherever compassion resides in the heart, Buddha's thought lives there,' he said. 'I believe not in caste but only in policy.' The Cabinet decision on the Buddhist University is now the most tangible next step. Whether that debate produces a funded institution or a deferred resolution will say much about how far the rhetoric travels into brick and mortar.