Important Facts For Prelims
Buddha Purnima
- 07 May 2020
- 2 min read
Why in News
In 2020, Buddha Purnima is being celebrated on 7th May.
Key Points
- The day falls on the Poornima (full moon) of the Hindu month Vaishakha (April or May).
- It marks the birth anniversary of Gautam Buddha, founder of Buddhism.
Gautam Buddha
- He was born as Siddhartha Gautama in circa 563 BCE, in a royal family in Lumbini which is situated near the Indo-Nepal border.
- His family belonged to the Sakya clan which ruled from Kapilvastu, Lumbini.
- At the age of 29, Gautama left home and rejected his life of riches and embraced a lifestyle of asceticism or extreme self-discipline.
- After 49 consecutive days of meditation, Gautam attained Bodhi (enlightenment) under a pipal tree at Bodhgaya, Bihar.
- Buddha gave his first sermon in the village of Sarnath, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. This event is known as Dharma Chakra Pravartana (turning of the wheel of law).
- He died at the age of 80 in 483 BCE at Kushinagara, Uttar Pradesh. The event is known as Mahaparinibban or Mahaparinirvana.
- He is believed to be the eighth of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu (Dashavatar).
