Pictures and albums about Polonnaruwa published in travel

Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born in 563 BC in Lumbini on the border of India and Nepal. His father was King Suddhodhana, ruler of the Sakya people and his mother Mayadevi. He was named Siddhartha (the one who obtains success and prosperity) and Gautama was his last name. Seers predicted that he will either become a monarch or a Buddha (The Enlightened One). His mother died soon after his birth. He was brought up by his aunt. Siddhartha spent his childhood in Kapilavasthu in Southern Nepal. As a prince he trained in martial arts and hunting. At an early age he married Princess Yashodara. Siddhartha lived a princely life and in his late twenties he was blessed with a son. One day, during an excursion, he came across an old man, a diseased person, a corpse being cremated and an ascetic. He instantly realized that people had little control over their lives. At the age of 29, he secretly left home, became a monk and started practicing an ascetic life and self mortification. All this led him nowhere and he became disillusioned. Finally, he sat under a Bodhi tree for seven weeks and started meditating, discovering his inner being. He finally attained Enlightenment in Bodhgaya, India at the age of 35. He started preaching what is the gist of Buddhism.His first sermon was at Sarnath, India. Both Bodhgaya and Sarnath are very sacred places in India for the Buddhists. He gathered followers by the thousands. With his disciples, he established a Buddhist Order 'Sanga'. For 45 years after attaining Enlightenment, he tirelessly travelled and preached the tenets of Buddhism in Northern India. Having spread his teachings, he finally left his corporal body at the age of 80. He passed away in a forest near Kusinagara in Nepal in 483 BC. On his deathbed he spoke his last words "All compounded things are ephemeral; work diligently on your salvation". He then attained a state of Nirvana.