| Shakyamuni Buddha was born in Kapilvastu | | | | scene of nativity. |
| District, Lumbini Zone (Nepal) in between 563 and | | | | King Suddhodana sought the help of a Brahmin |
| 483 BC. He was born in a shakya clan to father | | | | who referred to the three Vedas to name the |
| King Suddhodana and Queen Mahamaya the | | | | child as Siddhartha which means " one whose |
| mother. Siddhartha is believed to have | | | | mission is accomplished". It was only after |
| reincarnated thousands of times as a bodhisattva | | | | Siddhartha received enlightenment that he |
| to earn good karma, a prerequisite towards | | | | became renowned as Shakyamuni Buddha, which |
| becoming a Buddha. | | | | means " the enlightened one" |
| According to ancient legend, Siddhartha's mother, | | | | In his youth, Siddhartha was exceptionally |
| Mahamaya had a premonitory dream: A white | | | | intelligent, strong and artistic, surpassing all others |
| elephant with six tusks descended from the | | | | in his generation. Married Yasodhara at the age of |
| heavens surrounded by a chorus of beatific | | | | seventeen, who gave birth to a son, Rahula. |
| praises. The elephant approached her, holding a | | | | Sufferings of mankind like sickness, old age and |
| pink lotus flower in its trunk, and placed the | | | | death deeply disturbed young prince Siddhartha. |
| flower within the queen's body. Then the elephant | | | | Seeking the truth behind human suffering and |
| entered her body with ease, and she experienced | | | | meaning of existence, Siddhartha renounced his |
| deep sense of bliss and harmony. | | | | royal life to become an ascetic at the age of |
| The king summoned holy men to interpret the | | | | twenty nine in search of a solution to the four |
| meaning of the queen's dream..Their conclusion: | | | | sufferings common to all people: birth into this |
| "The queen will give birth to a son who will be a | | | | troubled world, sickness, old age and death. |
| great leader. He is destined to become either a | | | | He headed towards the mountains near the |
| mighty emperor who rules throughout the four | | | | Nairanjana River where he spent six years.Several |
| directions, or a great Teacher who will show the | | | | years of suffering and penance of ascetic life, |
| Way of Truth to all beings in Heaven and Earth." | | | | however,lead him to conclude that attempting to |
| The queen's dream turned out to be an auspicious | | | | overcome human suffering and desire through |
| omen of the advent of someone special. Keeping | | | | self-denial and force of will was counter |
| to the tradition of those days, the queen visited | | | | productive. Instead he preferred technique of |
| her parental home to give birth. On the way, | | | | moderation and balance.But his moderate stance |
| there lie the beautiful garden of Lumbini. | | | | disillusioned some Brahmin followers who |
| She decided to take some rest in the garden. It | | | | abandoned Siddhartha saying that their master |
| was a lovely spring day. Flowers were in full | | | | had lost spiritual fervor. Nevertheless, Siddhartha |
| bloom, birds were singing delightfully. Engrossed in | | | | continued this approach. He began the historic |
| the pleasure of the moment, queen Mahamaya | | | | meditation under a large bodhi tree near |
| suddenly felt uneasy, she was about to have | | | | Bodhgaya ( at present in North India). on a full |
| childbirth. Standing and holding a tree branch with | | | | moon day around 588 BC, Siddhartha Gautama |
| one hand, Queen Mahamaya gave birth to | | | | attained Nirvana, the liberation from the cycle of |
| Siddhartha Gautama. As soon as he came out of | | | | birth and death. the next forty-five years of his |
| the queen's womb, Siddhartha walked 7 steps | | | | life was dedicated towards preaching the dharma |
| towards the four cardinal directions highlighting his | | | | (Sacred knowledge revealed through |
| divine origin.. There is an old statue presiding inside | | | | enlightenment) among the masses. |
| the Lumbini museum of Nepal which depicts that | | | | |