Buddha birthday, Buddha Jayanti in Nepal

Buddha Jayanti is the festival dedicated to Lord Buddha. The day celebrates the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautam Buddha – the apostle of peace and Light of Asia. Buddha was born in Lumbini, got enlightened in Gaya and passed away in Kushinagar all on this day. They day is celebrated as a special day in Mahayana Buddhism as it marks the birth of Prince Siddhartha Gautam who later attained enlightenment and got known as the founder of Buddhism -- Lord Buddha. According to legends, Prince Siddhartha – a son of King Suddodhana and Queen Mayadevi – was born in Lumbini in western Nepal. Soon after his birth, an astrologer who visited the king, prophesized that the prince would either become a great king or abandon the material world to become a holy man. What he sees in the life outside the palace would determine the outcome, the astrologer told the king.  King Suddhodhana did not like the idea of his son abandoning the kingdom to be a holy man. So the king prevented his son from leaving the palace grounds and also fixed his marriage. But after the birth of his child, the prince, then 29 years old, ventured outside the palace and in series of encounters learned about the suffering of ordinary people. All these suffering influenced him to abandon his royal life and go on a spiritual quest, and thus attaining enlightenment. The day is celebrated with gusto by the Buddhist community. Processions are taken out, and special pooja offered to Lord Buddha in different countries, including Nepal. Important stupas in Nepal, like the Swayambhunath and the Bouddhanath, draws large number of Buddhist followers on this day. Along with Nepal, Buddha Jayanti is also celebrated in Cambodia, China, India, Korea, Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, among many other countries, in Asia, Europe and the Americas