Buddha Purnima 2023 (Vesak): Date, Gautam Buddha Life History & Teachings

Buddha Purnima 2023 will be celebrated on Friday, May 5, 2023. Being a well-known Buddhist festival, Buddha Purnima is also known as Buddha Jayanti or Vesak. Know more about Gautama Buddha Life, history, teaching along with other crucial details.

Gautam Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama, was an ancient Indian philosopher and spiritual and religious teacher. He is entitled as the founder of the Buddhism religion which is said to be world’s fourth largest religion. Buddha is called as the Enlightened One or Awakened One and is believed to escape the cycle of birth and death.

Born into a royal family, he left the palace at a young age and became a wandering ascetic. The festival of Buddha Purnima marks the birth anniversary of Gautama Buddha and is celebrated by the Buddhists all over the country and the world.

The festival in celebrated majorly in Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Jammu Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andaman and Nicobar, and Maharashtra. Let us known more about Buddha Purnima 2023, like when and how to celebrate it, etc from this article.

Buddha Purnima 2023 Date

The date of Buddha Purnima is calculated on the basis Asian lunisolar calendars and therefore it varies from year to year. According to the Gregorian calendar, this festival usually falls in the month of April or May. In the upcoming year, Buddha Purnima will be celebrated on May 5, 2023, Friday. A public holiday is observed in many states on the day of Buddha Purnima and government offices remain close.

Festival Buddha Purnima 2023
Also known as Vesak 2023
Date May 5, 2023
Day Friday

Gautama Buddha Life History & Teachings

Siddhartha Gautam was born in 536 BCE in Lumbini (presently in Nepal) to King Suddhodana and Queen Maya. A prediction was made at the time of his birth that he will become one of the greatest, either a king or a spiritual leader. Fearing the latter, his father ordered for him to be kept away from the pain and sufferings of the outside world and that he must remain in palace all the time.

His father believed that by keeping him away from the true nature of life, he would not turn towards spiritualism and will become a great king.

However, when he was 29, he decided to see the outer world and ordered a charioteer to take him to a trip to the city. On his way, he had three sights- one of an old man, secondly a sick man, and then third, a corpse. Since he was unknown to any of these conditions, he asked his charioteer who explained to Gautama the different miseries of human life. Moving forward, Gautama came to the fourth sight- the sight of an ascetic monk who looked peaceful to him. He then decided to go see the world, find all kinds of sufferings and the way to free one’s soul from them. These events are also called as the Four Sights.

Gautam left his kingdom after that and wandered from one place to another in the search of enlightenment. He spent his life meditating, eating roots and on a full moon day, he sat under a Bodhi tree deciding he will ever leave this place only after he finds a way to end the suffering. It is believed that only under this tree, Gautam Buddha found what was he looking for and was finally able to attain the enlightenment.

He became the Awakened One or Enlightened One and started to be called as Shakyamuni Buddha. After his enlightenment, Gautama Buddha went to the Deer Park near Benares and shared his new findings with five men who became his disciples immediately. This is believed to be the beginning of the Buddhist community.

Buddha Purnima 2023 Celebration

In South and Southeast Asia, Buddha Purnima is celebrated as a festival of birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha, whereas in East Asia, the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha are observed as three separate holidays.

On Buddha Purnima, people get up early in the morning and dress in white clothes. Prayers are offered to Buddha and people also visit his temples and shrines. There is a tradition of preparing rice pudding (also known as kheer and is made of rice and milk) and distributing it among the poor. According to legend, a woman named Sujata once offered Gautama Buddha kheer on his birthday and since then it become a tradition to give out kheer.

Buddhist scriptures and his teachings are recited at many Buddhist temples and a large number of people gather to take part in this. The holy remains of Lord Buddha is displayed in national museum in Delhi on the day of Buddha Purnima.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Buddha Purnima 2023?

Buddha Purnima 2023 falls on 5th May 2023.

Is Buddha Purnima a holiday?

Yes, it is a gazetted holiday.

Is Buddha Purnima a bank holiday?

Yes, in many parts of country.

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