FOUNDER

Siddhartha
Gautama

c. 528 B.C.E.

Lumbini is acknowledged as the founding location of Buddhism. It was initially part of Northern India, but now belongs to Nepal.

The spread of Buddhism was initiated when Buddha first conveyed to his friends about his enlightenment at the Deer Park of Sarnath, Banaras.

Gautama left his family, wealth, and societal status in c. 534 B.C.E. to obtain enlightenment and seek explanations to suffering as well as the differentiation between the rich and the poor.

His initial attempts were through intense meditations and the rigors of extreme asceticism. After 6 years, one day, he sat under the Bodhi tree, in Bodh Gaya, where he decided that he will remain unless he finds an explanation to suffering. After 49 days, he gained enlightenment and obtained answers for the cause of suffering and how humans can eliminate it.