BUDDHA PURNIMA

short description

Festival commemorating the birth of the Buddha and celebrating the message of his life.

thumbnail image

body

Considered the most important Buddhist festival, Buddha Purnima is celebrated by Buddhists around the world. In India, this annual festival is particularly significant in the states of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Maharashtra, as well as parts of Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Ladakh. Also known as Buddha Jayanti or Vesak, this auspicious occasion is usually celebrated on the Purnima (full moon day) of the Vaisakha month of the Buddhist and Hindu calendars. This typically corresponds to the month of April or May in the Gregorian tradition.

The significance of Buddha Purnima differs across various countries. In India and other South and Southeast Asian nations, Buddha Purnima is celebrated as the "thrice-blessed day." It commemorates all the three major life events of the Buddha– birth, enlightenment and attainment of Mahiparinirvana (release) after death. However, in other parts of the world, the day signifies the birth of the Buddha while his spiritual awakening and death are honoured on separate occasions.

On this day, followers of the Buddha participate in prayers and listen to various philosophical discourses. They maintain sila (moral discipline) and engage in samadhi (meditation), in addition to making offerings to monks. Homes are decorated, and alms are distributed to the needy. Monks recite Buddhist scriptures, invoking peace, love, compassion, and unity. Some Buddhist monasteries place an image of the baby Buddha in a small basin filled with flowers and water. Devotees pour water over the statue, symbolically representing the heavenly offerings made by devas (celestial beings) and spirits.

The festival of Buddha Purnima celebrates the message of Gautama Buddha and acts as a reminder to live a life of kindness, non-violence and wisdom.

intro

The Triple Blessed Festival

dismarker

[{"nid":"2999680","title":"Kheer","body":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe most popular \u003Cem\u003Eprasada\u003C\/em\u003E or religious offering prepared for Buddha Purnima is \u003Cem\u003Ekheer\u003C\/em\u003E. A type of a sweet porridge or pudding, kheer is made by boiling milk, rice and sugar. Dry fruits and spices like cardamom and saffron are sometimes added to enhance the flavour of the dish.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThere is an interesting Buddhist legend that explains the connection between \u003Cem\u003Ekheer\u003C\/em\u003E and Buddha Purnima. It states that a woman named Sujata once met Gautama Buddha when he was living as an ascetic. Looking at his emaciated body, she mistook him for a tree-spirit that had granted her wish. As a result, she offers Gautama a bowl of \u003Cem\u003Ekheer\u003C\/em\u003E. Having realised that moderation and not extreme practices are required for enlightenment, Gautama accepts the food. His six years of ascetic life thus come to an end.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Cem\u003Ekheer\u003C\/em\u003E prepared on Buddha Purnima is first symbolically offered to the Buddha and then consumed. It is also offered to monks and distributed among the needy.\u003C\/p\u003E","field_galleryimage":" \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/Rice_Kheer_or_Rice_Pudding.jpg\u0022 width=\u00224896\u0022 height=\u00223672\u0022 alt=\u0022Kheer, Source: Wikimedia Commons\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n, \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/Kheer_3.jpg\u0022 width=\u00223008\u0022 height=\u00222000\u0022 alt=\u0022Kheer, Source: Wikimedia Commons\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n, \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/Food-Chandana-Kheer.jpg\u0022 width=\u00223264\u0022 height=\u00221836\u0022 alt=\u0022Kheer with Saffron. Source: Wikimedia Commons\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n","field_categories_list":"Cuisines","field_description_discover_":"","field_discover_image":"","field_galleryimage_1":" \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/Rice_Kheer_or_Rice_Pudding.jpg\u0022 width=\u00224896\u0022 height=\u00223672\u0022 alt=\u0022Kheer, Source: Wikimedia Commons\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n, \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/Kheer_3.jpg\u0022 width=\u00223008\u0022 height=\u00222000\u0022 alt=\u0022Kheer, Source: Wikimedia Commons\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n, \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/Food-Chandana-Kheer.jpg\u0022 width=\u00223264\u0022 height=\u00221836\u0022 alt=\u0022Kheer with Saffron. Source: Wikimedia Commons\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n","field_marker_detail":"","field_video":"","totalcount":"1","like_and_dislike":"\n \n \n Like\n 0\n \n \n Dislike\n 0\n \n \n\n"}], [{"nid":"2999681","title":"Lighting of Lamps","body":"\u003Cp\u003ELamps are a common feature in many Buddhist monasteries of India. They are lit on several important occasions and throughout the sacred month of Saga Dawa which marks the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha. In certain places like Ladakh, the festive occasion is traditionally celebrated by lighting butter lamps which are made using yak butter, though oil or ghee is more commonly used at present. The lighting of lamps symbolises the end of darkness and ignorance. According to Buddhist teachings, ignorance is one of the main sources of suffering in the world. Devotees who supply oil for lamps to monks are also believed to earn merit for their generosity.\u003C\/p\u003E","field_galleryimage":" \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/1280px-Lights_for_the_Enlightened.jpg\u0022 width=\u00221280\u0022 height=\u0022853\u0022 alt=\u0022A monk lighting lamps. Source: Wikimedia Commons\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n, \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/Thiksey_Monastery%2C_Buddhism_in_Ladakh%2C_India.jpg\u0022 width=\u00223072\u0022 height=\u00222048\u0022 alt=\u0022Lamp at Thiksey Monastery in Ladakh. Source: Wikimedia Commons\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n, \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/ENCHEY_MONASTERY%20%281%29.JPG\u0022 width=\u00221280\u0022 height=\u0022848\u0022 alt=\u0022Lamps at Enchey Monastery in Sikkim. Source: Wikimedia Commons\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n","field_categories_list":"Performative Traditions","field_description_discover_":"","field_discover_image":"","field_galleryimage_1":" \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/1280px-Lights_for_the_Enlightened.jpg\u0022 width=\u00221280\u0022 height=\u0022853\u0022 alt=\u0022A monk lighting lamps. Source: Wikimedia Commons\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n, \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/Thiksey_Monastery%2C_Buddhism_in_Ladakh%2C_India.jpg\u0022 width=\u00223072\u0022 height=\u00222048\u0022 alt=\u0022Lamp at Thiksey Monastery in Ladakh. Source: Wikimedia Commons\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n, \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/ENCHEY_MONASTERY%20%281%29.JPG\u0022 width=\u00221280\u0022 height=\u0022848\u0022 alt=\u0022Lamps at Enchey Monastery in Sikkim. Source: Wikimedia Commons\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n","field_marker_detail":"","field_video":"","totalcount":"1","like_and_dislike":"\n \n \n Like\n 0\n \n \n Dislike\n 0\n \n \n\n"}], [{"nid":"2999682","title":"Birth of Buddha","body":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe story of the birth of the Buddha can be found in the earliest Buddhist canonical texts like the \u003Cem\u003ESutta Pitaka\u003C\/em\u003E, which is believed to have been orally recited during the First Buddhist Council (5th century BCE) and written down during the Fourth Buddhist Council (1st century BCE). Other works like the \u003Cem\u003EMahavastu\u003C\/em\u003E (2nd century BCE), the \u003Cem\u003ELalitavistara\u003C\/em\u003E (3rd century CE), and the \u003Cem\u003EBuddhacharita\u003C\/em\u003E (1st - 2nd century CE) also refer to this event. According to these sources, the Buddha was born as Siddhartha Gautama, the son of a man named Suddhodana and his wife Maya. Suddhodana was a king of the Shakya clan whose capital was Kapilavastu.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBuddhist legends indicate that when Maya conceived her child, she dreamed of a white elephant with six tusks gently piercing her from the side. This was interpreted to mean that she would give birth either to a great ruler or a \u003Cem\u003Ebuddha\u003C\/em\u003E (a supremely enlightened teacher). On a full moon night in Vaisakha, the queen was travelling to her parents\u2019 home in Devdaha when she stopped at a grove in Lumbini and gave birth to a child. The child immediately took seven steps forward and a lotus bloomed at each step. He then declared in a noble voice that he was the chief of the world and this was his last rebirth. The ritual of bathing the image of the baby Buddha on Buddha Purnima is intended to commemorate this moment.\u003C\/p\u003E","field_galleryimage":"","field_categories_list":"Myths and Legends","field_description_discover_":"","field_discover_image":"","field_galleryimage_1":"","field_marker_detail":"","field_video":"","totalcount":"1","like_and_dislike":"\n \n \n Like\n 0\n \n \n Dislike\n 0\n \n \n\n"}], [{"nid":"2999683","title":"Enlightenment","body":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EOne of the earliest mentions of the Buddha\u0027s spiritual quest can be found in the \u003Cem\u003EAriyapariyesan\u0101-sutta\u003C\/em\u003E of the \u003Cem\u003ESutta Pitaka\u003C\/em\u003E. According to this text, the young Siddharatha led a sheltered life, shielded from the bitter realities of the world. However, when he was around 29 years of age, he ventured outside the royal palace one day and encountered various forms of suffering like old age, sickness, and death. Disturbed by these sights, he renounced his life as a prince and embarked on a spiritual journey.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EInitially, he became a student of various ascetics and began to lead a life of extreme austerity. He tortured and starved himself until his ribs stuck out but could not find enlightenment. He then realised that he needed a healthy body if he wanted his mind to concentrate. The path to awakening was the Middle Way, between the extreme self-denial he had tried to practise and the extreme indulgence he had grown up with.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EHe reached the state of \u003Cem\u003ENirvana\u003C\/em\u003E (enlightenment) while meditating under a fig tree in Bodh Gaya, Bihar. He acquired knowledge of his past life, understood the laws of karma, and was released from all worldly attachments. Thereafter, he became known as the Buddha (\u2018the awakened one\u2019). The fig tree began to be known as the Bodhi Tree (\u2018tree of awakening\u2019).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EA different narrative can be found in the Lotus Sutra (\u003Cem\u003ESaddharmapundarika-sutra\u003C\/em\u003E). Believed to have been written down between 100 BCE and 200 CE, this influential Mahayana text states that the Buddha had already reached enlightenment aeons ago. Because his life span could not be comprehended by ordinary people, he resorted to the \u003Cem\u003EUpaya\u003C\/em\u003E (skillful method) of pretending to renounce his life as a prince, practising austerity and then achieving enlightenment through the Middle Way.\u003C\/p\u003E","field_galleryimage":"","field_categories_list":"Myths and Legends","field_description_discover_":"","field_discover_image":"","field_galleryimage_1":"","field_marker_detail":"","field_video":"","totalcount":"1","like_and_dislike":"\n \n \n Like\n 0\n \n \n Dislike\n 0\n \n \n\n"}], [{"nid":"2999684","title":"Mara\u0026#039;s Attack","body":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWhile Siddhartha Gautama was meditating to achieve enlightenment, he was attacked by a demon named Mara. Mara\u2019s attack is mentioned in a number of texts, including the \u003Cem\u003EMara-Samyutta\u003C\/em\u003E section of \u003Cem\u003ESutta Pitaka\u003C\/em\u003E\u2019s \u003Cem\u003ESamyutta Nikaya\u003C\/em\u003E (\u0022Grouped Discourses\u0022) and the \u003Cem\u003EBuddhacharita\u003C\/em\u003E. These texts recount how Mara, the lord of death and sensual pleasure, was determined to dissuade all mortals from the righteous path. His army included Lust, Aversion, Hunger and Thirst, Craving, Sloth and Torpor, Cowardice, Doubt, Hypocrisy and Stupidity, False Glory, and Conceit.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EMara first sent his beautiful daughters to seduce Gautama and disrupt his meditation. However, the young man paid them no heed. Mara then summoned all his forces to surround Gautama in their most frightening forms. He himself arrived on his mountain-like elephant Girimekhala while holding weapons in his thousand arms. The \u003Cem\u003Edevas\u003C\/em\u003E (celestial beings), the \u003Cem\u003Enagas\u003C\/em\u003E (divine half-serpent, half-human creatures) and others who had gathered around Gautama fled in terror at this sight. However, Gautama was unmoved and continued his mediation.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EMara and his army then proceeded to attack Gautama with various supernatural powers and weapons, including the deadly \u003Cem\u003Echakkavudha\u003C\/em\u003E (disc). The ten \u003Cem\u003Eparamita\u003C\/em\u003Es (\u2018perfections\u2019) appeared at this point and defeated Mara\u2019s army. The \u003Cem\u003Eparamita\u003C\/em\u003Es included Generosity, Virtue, Renunciation, Wisdom, Diligence, Patience, Honesty, Determination, Goodwill, and Serenity. Gautama continued to meditate and each weapon transformed into flowers when it reached him.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFinally, Mara declared that only a divine being like himself could claim the seat of enlightenment, not an ordinary human like Gautama. As proof, he asked for witnesses and his soldiers shouted in his favour. Gautama had no one to speak on his behalf so he gently touched the earth. The earth roared in response and stood as his witness. Mara was thus defeated and forced to flee. The \u003Cem\u003Edeva\u003C\/em\u003Es then besieged him and celebrated Gautama\u2019s victory.\u003C\/p\u003E","field_galleryimage":"","field_categories_list":"Myths and Legends","field_description_discover_":"","field_discover_image":"","field_galleryimage_1":"","field_marker_detail":"","field_video":"","totalcount":"1","like_and_dislike":"\n \n \n Like\n 0\n \n \n Dislike\n 0\n \n \n\n"}], [{"nid":"2999685","title":"Final Release","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe most popular account of the Buddha\u2019s final days can be found in the \u003Cem\u003EMahaparinibbana Sutta\u003C\/em\u003E of the \u003Cem\u003ESutta Pitaka\u003C\/em\u003E. Soon after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha attracted a band of followers and built a monastic order. After reaching the age of 80, he gave his final instructions to the monks and passed away serenely in the city of Kushinagara. He was liberated from the endless cycle of birth and rebirth and thus achieved \u003Cem\u003EMahaparinirvana\u003C\/em\u003E or the final release from the world.\u003C\/p\u003E","field_galleryimage":"","field_categories_list":"Myths and Legends","field_description_discover_":"","field_discover_image":"","field_galleryimage_1":"","field_marker_detail":"","field_video":"","totalcount":"1","like_and_dislike":"\n \n \n Like\n 0\n \n \n Dislike\n 0\n \n \n\n"}]

pan india marker

{"facets":[],"facets_metadata":[],"filters":[],"pager":{"current_page":0,"items_per_page":1,"total_pages":0,"total_results":1},"results":[{"title":"Celebration at Bodh Gaya","nid":"2999646","body":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EA grand celebration of Buddha Purnima takes place at the ancient site of Bodh Gaya in the Gaya district of Bihar.\u0026nbsp; During this occasion, Bodh Gaya becomes particularly significant, as thousands of visitors from India and around the world gather at the Mahabodhi Temple. According to Buddhist beliefs, the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, the \u2018Tree of Awakening,\u2019 at Bodh Gaya. It is a large sacred fig tree located inside the premises of the Mahabodhi Temple and is considered a descendant of the original Bodhi Tree.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe temple is decorated with \u003Cem\u003Epanchsheel\u003C\/em\u003E flags, representing the five moral precepts (abstain from acts like stealing, sexual misconduct, killing living beings, lying, and intoxication) of Buddhism. The festivities begin with a large ceremonial procession along the temple road, from the 80 ft. tall Great Buddha statue to the Mahabodhi Temple. Upon reaching the temple, the monks and devotees engage in chanting \u003Cem\u003Esuttas\u003C\/em\u003E from Buddhist holy texts under the shade of the sacred Bodhi tree, followed by prayers at the Sujata Stupa. \u003Cem\u003EKheer\u003C\/em\u003E (rice pudding) is offered as \u003Cem\u003Eprasad\u003C\/em\u003E (food offerings made in the name of the god and later distributed among followers) and lamps are lit at the butter lamp house in the evening.\u003C\/p\u003E","field_sta_category":"","field_slider_images":" \u003Ca href=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/Buddha_Purnima_celebrations_at_Bhutia_Busty_monastery_or_Karma_Dorjee_Chyoling_monastery_28%20%282%29.jpg\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/Buddha_Purnima_celebrations_at_Bhutia_Busty_monastery_or_Karma_Dorjee_Chyoling_monastery_28%20%282%29.jpg\u0022 width=\u00221280\u0022 height=\u0022912\u0022 alt=\u0022Buddha Purnima celebrations in Darjeeling, West Bengal. Source: Wikimedia Commons\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/a\u003E\n, \u003Ca href=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/Buddha_jayanti_at_Mahabodhi_society%20%282%29.jpg\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/Buddha_jayanti_at_Mahabodhi_society%20%282%29.jpg\u0022 width=\u00221280\u0022 height=\u0022964\u0022 alt=\u0022Decoration for Buddha Purnima at the Mahabodhi Society, West Bengal. Source: Wikimedia Commons\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/a\u003E\n, \u003Ca href=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/Buddha_Pournima.jpg\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/Buddha_Pournima.jpg\u0022 width=\u00225184\u0022 height=\u00223456\u0022 alt=\u0022Buddha Purnima celebration in Maharashtra. Source: Wikimedia Commons\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/a\u003E\n, \u003Ca href=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/629px-People_talking_bath_in_Budhi_Gandak_river_on_the_ocasion_of_Buddha_purnima_in_Muzaffarpur%2C_Bihar%2C_India.jpg\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/629px-People_talking_bath_in_Budhi_Gandak_river_on_the_ocasion_of_Buddha_purnima_in_Muzaffarpur%2C_Bihar%2C_India.jpg\u0022 width=\u0022629\u0022 height=\u0022480\u0022 alt=\u0022People taking a ritual dip in the river on the occasion of Buddha Purnima. Source: Wikimedia Commons\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/a\u003E\n, \u003Ca href=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/iStock-473430862.jpg\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/iStock-473430862.jpg\u0022 width=\u00221867\u0022 height=\u00221333\u0022 alt=\u0022Monks praying at Bodh Gaya on the occasion of Buddha Purnima. Source: iStock\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/a\u003E\n, \u003Ca href=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/iStock-473418892.jpg\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/iStock-473418892.jpg\u0022 width=\u00223734\u0022 height=\u00222667\u0022 alt=\u0022Devotees listening to a sermon on Buddha Purnima. Source: iStock\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/a\u003E\n, \u003Ca href=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/iStock-473419568.jpg\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/system\/files\/2024-08\/iStock-473419568.jpg\u0022 width=\u00223734\u0022 height=\u00222667\u0022 alt=\u0022A monk offering prayers at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya. Source: iStock\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/a\u003E\n","field_states":"","field_marker_details":"","field_thumbnail":""}],"sorters":[],"system":{"page_key":"page"}}, {"facets":[],"facets_metadata":[],"filters":[],"pager":{"current_page":0,"items_per_page":1,"total_pages":0,"total_results":1},"results":[{"title":"Buddha Mahotsav in Sarnath","nid":"2999668","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe town of Sarnath, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, is renowned as the site of the Buddha\u2019s first sermon and it becomes the focal point of festivities during Buddha Mahotsav. During this grand occasion, the town hosts a range of events including special prayers, fairs, religious sermons, discourses, lectures, and photo exhibitions. Pilgrims and local communities gather to honour and celebrate the life and teachings of Lord Buddha. A procession of monks and devotees travels through the town, carrying relics of the Buddha on a beautifully decorated chariot. These relics are then displayed for public viewing at the Mahabodhi Temple of Sarnath for just one day, allowing devotees to pay their respects and seek blessings. Additionally, the ancient Dhamek Stupa and the Mulagandha Kuty Vihara temple are exquisitely illuminated, and many devotees visit the nearby Ganga ghat to take a ceremonial dip in the holy river.\u003C\/p\u003E","field_sta_category":"","field_slider_images":"","field_states":"","field_marker_details":"","field_thumbnail":""}],"sorters":[],"system":{"page_key":"page"}}, {"facets":[],"facets_metadata":[],"filters":[],"pager":{"current_page":0,"items_per_page":1,"total_pages":0,"total_results":1},"results":[{"title":"Saga Dawa","nid":"2999669","body":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ESaga Dawa, or the Triple Blessed Festival, is celebrated with great religious fervour by the Tibetan Buddhists in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. Saga Dawa is the 4th month in the Tibetan lunar calendar. It usually corresponds to May or June in the Gregorian calendar and \u003Cem\u003EVaisakha\u003C\/em\u003E or \u003Cem\u003EJyestha\u003C\/em\u003E in the Hindu calendar. This month-long festival culminates on Saga Dawa D\u00fcchen, the full moon night that marks the birth, enlightenment and \u003Cem\u003EMahaparinirvana\u003C\/em\u003E (release after death) of the Buddha. Since the Tibetan and Hindu calendars are quite similar, Saga Dawa Duchen and Buddha Purnima coincide often, but not always.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ESaga Dawa, also known as Bumgyur Dawa, is celebrated as the \u0022month of merits\u0022. It is believed that the good deeds performed during this \u201cmonth of merits\u201d are rewarded many times over in the future. Alongside commemorating Buddha and his activities, the festival\u0027s primary purpose is to engage in prayer.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EDuring the Saga Dawa Festival, Tibetan Buddhists visit monasteries and temples to offer prayers. The festival\u0027s overarching purpose is to pray for the longevity of all revered Gurus across traditions, the propagation and endurance of Buddha\u0027s teachings in the hearts of all sentient beings, and global peace.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EFor an entire month, devotees give alms to the needy, honouring the message of the Buddha\u2019s life. On the final day, a vibrant procession of monks wearing elaborate masks and playing musical instruments can be seen on the streets. The monks are followed by devotees carrying sacred texts, portraits and statues. People gather outside to watch the procession and touch the sacred objects in reverence.\u003C\/p\u003E","field_sta_category":"","field_slider_images":"","field_states":"","field_marker_details":"","field_thumbnail":""}],"sorters":[],"system":{"page_key":"page"}}

type

pan india festival