Buddha Purnima in India

In May, India celebrates one of the most significant events in the Buddhist calendar - Buddha Purnima or Buddha's birthday. This holiday falls on the full moon and is considered an official holiday throughout the country. Buddha or Gautama Sidhartha is the founder of one of the three world religions - Buddhism. He was born back in 623 BC, achieved a state of enlightenment, and also died in 543 BC (all on the day of the May full moon!). That is why the people of India celebrate the three most important events at once on a huge scale. In general, Buddha was born into a very wealthy family in the village of Lumbini. Even as a baby, he was never denied anything, but at the age of 29, immediately after the birth of his own son, he radically changed his life. Gautama forever left secular receptions, family, material wealth and went in search of the Truth. For several years Sidhartha was engaged in meditation and contemplation, and when he turned 35, sitting on the banks of the Ganges River (today there is the holy city for all Buddhists Bodh Gaya), enlightenment descended on him and he became Buddha. After that, he went around the country with his sermons, in which he called for self-knowledge, self-improvement and self-contemplation. This is the only way, Buddha believed, that one can protect oneself and be saved from the numerous sufferings that are so abundant in our world. He rejected the teachings of the Vedas, did not believe in the existence of God at all, but nevertheless recognized the existence of karma, and, accordingly, the possibility of transmigration of the soul. The teachings of Buddha gained enormous popularity among the population, and, during the time of the powerful Emperor Ashoka, even became the state religion. Over time, Buddhism spread to the territories of Burma, Nepal, Ceylon, the islands of Indonesia, Korea, Japan and Tibet. Nowadays, a huge number of pilgrims from all over the world gather on the day of the May full moon in Bodh Gaya for Buddha Purnima. They read prayers together, recite texts from scriptures, hold discussions on religious topics, meditate and, of course, worship the great Buddha.