Siddhartha Gautam was born in Lumbini, nepal in 623 BC which is a sacred place to the 400 million Buddhists in the world. Maya Devi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautam under the grove of trees when she was on her way to her mother’s house in Devadaha.

Son of King Suddhodhan, Siddhartha Gautam grew up at his palace at taulihawa, about 24 kilometers from Lumbini. At the age of 29 he set his foot outside of the palace to find the poverty, hardship and suffering of the people.

Siddhartha Gautam abandoned the palace and spent the days meditating on life until, under a pipal tree at Gaya in India he attained the ‘Enlightenment’ – The Buddha. The Buddha preached his doctrine for 45 years before attaining nirvana with his death at the age of 80.

In the centuries that have followed the Buddha’s death, sectaran differences have emerged in Buddism, the Mayahana school of thoughts in India and Hinayana school of thoughts in southeast Asia and Sri Lanka .

The India Emperor, Ashoka erected Ashoka Pillar in the Lumbini, nepal in 249 BC, to mark his visit to the birth place of Buddha.