Buddha Jayanti

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The Buddha Jayanti festival or Buddha Purnima festival is celebrated on a full moon day in April/May every year to memorialize the occasions of Buddha's birth anniversary as well as enlightenment. In the month of April, Bodhgaya rejoices Buddha Jayanti, which falls on the full moon night in the month of Vaisakha (according to Hindu calendar). This wonderful celebration commemorates the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. During this moment pilgrims arrive from all over the world to be present at the celebration spot without caring for the summer heat. Buddha Jayanti is manifest with prayer meets, sermons on the life of Gautam Buddha, spiritual discourses, continuous narration of Buddhist scriptures, group meditation, processions, worship of the statue of Buddha and symposia.

During this festivals and events in the form of Buddha Jayanti, Bodhgaya along with Mahabodhi Temple presents a festive look and decoration with colorful flags and flowers. Festival is celebrated with traditional religious passion. The significance of this date is because Lord Buddha was born on the Full Moon day in the month of Vaisakh in 563 BC. It is also notable and interesting here that Buddha achieved enlightenment and nirvana (salvation) on the same day (the Full Moon day). Consequently, Buddha Purnima also marks the death anniversary of Gautam Buddha. On this auspicious occasion of Buddha Jayanti, a large fair is held at Gaya and the relics of the Buddha are taken out for public display in a procession.

Besides Gaya, the Buddha Purnima is also celebrated with spiritual passion at Sarnath and Kushinagar and other parts of India and the world. Monks and devotees *of Gaya meditate and worship the statue of Gautam Buddha. The Buddhist devotees also offer fruits, flowers, candles etc to statues of Lord Buddha.