26/04/2026
The history of
began in ancient India with the birth of Gautama Buddha, originally named Siddhartha Gautama, around the 5th–6th century BCE. He was born in Lumbini (present-day Nepal) into a royal family of the Shakya clan.
According to tradition, Siddhartha lived a sheltered life of luxury until he encountered the “Four Sights”: an old man, a sick person, a dead body, and a wandering ascetic. These experiences revealed the reality of suffering and inspired him to renounce worldly life in search of truth.
Around the age of 29, Siddhartha left his palace and practiced severe austerities for several years. Eventually, he realized that extreme asceticism was not the path to liberation and adopted the Middle Way.
At the age of 35, while meditating under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, Siddhartha attained enlightenment and became known as the Buddha, meaning “The Awakened One.”
After enlightenment, the Buddha delivered his first sermon at Sarnath, where he taught the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path — the core teachings of Buddhism.
For the next 45 years, the Buddha traveled across northern India teaching the Dhamma and establishing the Sangha (monastic community). His teachings emphasized wisdom, ethical conduct, and mental cultivation.
The Buddha passed away at the age of 80 in Kushinagar, an event known as Mahāparinirvāṇa. His teachings later spread across Asia and the world, becoming one of the major spiritual traditions of humanity.
