2569th Buddha Jayanti

The 2569th Buddha Jayanti is being observed today paying special reverence to Gautama Buddha—the apostle of peace. Buddha Jayanti is celebrated annually on the full moon day of the month of Baishakh of the Nepali lunar calendar by Buddhists.

The day holds special significance as it marks Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and demise all believed to have occurred on this auspicious day. Monks and devotees gather in monasteries, and Bihars to perform rituals and prayers today.

Special ceremonies are taking in Lumbini—Buddha’s birthplace—as well as in Kapilvastu and in Swayambhu and Boudhanath in Kathmandu. Gautama Buddha was born as Siddhartha Gautam in 563 BC in Lumbini to King Shuddhodhan and Queen Mayadevi.

Though born a prince, he was moved by the suffering of people and, at the age of 29, renounced royal life in pursuit of enlightenment through meditation and asceticism.

(RSS)