Indian History and World History (Part-3)

In ancient times the rulers of Kapilvastu during the Buddhist period were Shakyas. Mahatma Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born in 563 BC in the Shakya Kshatriya clan in the Lumbini village of Kapilvastu, located in the Terai of Nepal. It was a Vaishakh Purnima, day when he was born.

Gautam Buddha was a sage and an ascetic who founded Buddhism. His original name was Siddhartha. He taught and lived mainly in the eastern part of ancient India between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE.

Lumbini is the birthplace of Lord Buddha. It is a place near Kapilavastu in Nepal.

The place of Gautama Buddha’s birth was a grove known as Lumbini.

The place of Gautama Buddha’s birth was a grove known as Lumbini.

Buddha’s foster mother, Mahapajapati Gotami, was the first woman to have been ordained as a bhikkhuni. Mahapajapati Gotami was the foster mother, step mother, and maternal aunt (mother’s sister) of Buddha.
In the Buddhist tradition, she was the first woman to have sought ordination for women, which she did from Gautama Buddha directly, and she became the first bhikkhuni (Buddhist nun).

Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment and became a Buddha in the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya while meditating under a Bodhi tree. Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma in Sarnath and is said to have been born at Lumbini. This place is now a well-known pilgrimage site.

Mahayana is a sect of Buddhism which refers to ‘The Great Vehicle’. During the fourth Buddhist council held at Kashmir (in 72 AD) under king Kanishka, Buddhism split into two sects, namely—
Mahayana : The greater vehicle
Hinayana : The lesser vehicle.

Kushinagar is a town in Uttar Pradesh where Gautam Buddha passed away.
It is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site, where Buddhists believe Gautama Buddha attained Parinirvana after his death.

Ramabhar Stupa, which marks the site where Lord Buddha was cremated, is situated in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the town of Kushinagar, which is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site as it is believed to be the place where Lord Buddha attained Parinirvana (final liberation from the cycle of birth and death). The Ramabhar Stupa is also known as the Mukutbandhan Chaitya and is one of the major attractions for Buddhist pilgrims visiting Kushinagar.