Prince Siddharth born around 543 BC is believed to
have lived a very sheltered life till the age of 29 under his father's
instructions and was kept completely ignorant of the tragedies of
everyday life. Once he persuaded one of his charioteers to take him out
of the palace walls to the outside world and was shocked to the harsh
realities of life when he viewed an old man, a sick and disabled person
and a dead body for the first time in his life. The fourth vision was of
an ascetic who looked at peace with himself, which led Siddharth to
search for the true meaning of life, renounce the luxury and worldly
pleasures and look for enlightenment. He wandered to many places and
ultimately attained attainment in Bodhgaya under a 'pipal' tree. Since
then he was known as Gautam Buddha or the 'Enlightened One'.
It is said that it was on Buddha Poornima, the full moon night in
Vaisakha (according to the Hindu calendar that usually falls in April or
May), Lord Buddha was born. He was the founder of the Buddhist religion
and is said to be the ninth avatar of Vishnu. It was on Buddha Poornima
that he attained enlightenment and ultimately after preaching the five
principles of life and the path of eight-fold truth for long, he
attained 'Nirvana' or left the mortal world on this day itself. Thus,
Buddha Jayanti celebrates the three most important events in Gautam
Buddha's life. Pilgrims from all over the world come to Bodh Gaya in
India to participate in the Buddha Poornima celebrations that highlight
prayer meets, sermons and religious discourses, recitation of Buddhist
scriptures, group meditation, processions and worship of the statue of
Buddha.
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Festivals of India |
