Mahabodhi Temple

The man who would become the Buddha was born in Lumbini, in present-day Nepal. As the son of a local ruler, he was raised in comfort and afforded a strong education by the standards of the time. Yet, as a young man, he grew restless in his privileged life and became a seeker of deeper truth. Renouncing his worldly comforts, he travelled extensively and studied under various spiritual teachers. His transformative moment came in Bodh Gaya, where, while meditating beneath the Bodhi Tree, he attained enlightenment and became the Buddha. See Buddhism for more information.