Buddha Purnima during Vaishakha month is celebrated as birth anniversary of
Gautama Buddha. Gautama Buddha whose birth name was
Siddhartha Gautama was a spiritual teacher on whose teachings Buddhism was founded.
The time of Gautama Buddha’s birth and death is uncertain. However, most historians date his lifetime between 563-483 B.C. Most people consider Lumbini, Nepal as birth place of Buddha. Buddha died at the age of 80 at Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh.
For Buddhists,
Bodh Gaya is the most important pilgrimage site related to the life of Gautama Buddha. The other three important pilgrimage sites are
Kushinagar,
Lumbini, and
Sarnath. It is believed that Gautama Buddha obtained Enlightenment at Bodhagaya and he first taught the Dharma at Sarnath.
It is believed that Gautama Buddha obtained Enlightenment and passed away on the same day. Buddha Purnima is also known as
Buddha Jayanti,
Vesak,
Vaishaka and
Buddha’s Birthday.
In North India
Buddha is considered as the 9th incarnation and Lord Krishna as the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. However Buddha is never considered as an
Avatar of Vishnu in South Indian belief. In South India Balarama is considered as the 8th incarnation and Krishna as the 9th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Balarama is counted as an incarnation of Vishnu by the majority of Vaishnava movements. Even Buddhists don’t consider Buddha as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.