Buddha Jayanti Festival Tour is one of the festival tours and treks in Nepal. It is a lifetime experience of celebrating Buddha's Birth Anniversary and visiting Buddhist monasteries. Thousands of international tourists do this Buddha Jayanti Festival Tour in the month of May. The most surprising fact is that Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death happened on the same day!
Siddhartha Gautam was born on Baishak Purnima to King Suddhodhan Shakya and Queen Mayadevi in 623 BC in Kapilvastu, Nepal. Although a crown prince of Kapilvastu Kingdom, child Siddhartha began contemplating the causes of suffering, old age, and death. Thus, he wanted to find out the real causes of these human sufferings.
When he was 29 years old, he secretly left his lavish life and the royal palace at night. Even though he was traveling in the dark night, he actually wanted to find the light i.e. the real causes behind suffering, old age, and death in human life. After deep penance and meditation in Gaya, Kashi of India, he got enlightened with the answers to his questions regarding human suffering.
The outline of his enlightenment is that when humans run after earthly matters, they suffer a lot; old age and death are natural phenomena in human life. Then, Siddharth Gautam became Lord Buddha and traveled across Asia by preaching his principles of life. Therefore, he is called the Light of Asia.
To mark the birth and enlightenment day of Lord Buddha, Baishak Purnima is celebrated in all Buddhist countries. The celebration of Buddha Jayanti is more special in Nepal as it is Buddha’s birthplace. On this occasion, Buddha Jayanti Festival Tours and Treks are organized to let international travelers know more closely about Buddha and his philosophy.
If you want to become a part of or celebrate Buddha’s birth anniversary, you need to know “When does Buddha Jayanti fall every year?” Buddha Jayanti falls in the second half of the first month or the first half of the second month according to the Nepali calendar. As the Nepali calendar is based on lunar months and solar sidereal years, the date of Buddha Jayanti doesn’t fall on the same date.
Buddha Jayanti Festival Tour in Nepal takes you to Buddhist shrines spread across the country. On Baishak Purnima, devotees dress in white clothes and visit the nearest monasteries and Chhortens beautified by colorful prayer flags. They circumambulate the monasteries and Chhortens by swinging the prayer wheels. They light hundreds of lamps called Diyo on the premises of such shrines. They distribute rice pudding
(kheer) amongst each other.
Devotees pray for their inner and world peace. The monks preach about the importance of Buddha's principles and message for peace across the world. Lumbini is the birthplace of Lord Buddha and one of the 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Nepal. Mayadevi Temple is a temple made in respect of Siddhartha Gautam’s mother, Maya Devi. This temple is the most important Buddhist cultural heritage in the world. So, this temple
is decorated with colorful prayer flags.
Devotees from around the world make a procession in the morning whereas formal cultural programs are conducted during the day. At night, pilgrims light thousands of lamps all around the Mayadevi Temple premises. Some executive heads and heads of the nation also visit Lumbini to attend the Buddha Jayanti ceremony. Their visits prove how important the day is and how important peace is for the world. Buddha Jayanti Festival Tour conveys the message that we should live in harmonious understanding and strong bonding.
If you have done tours and trekking in Nepal, you might have seen Buddhist prayer flags wrapping Monasteries and Chhortens. Though the majority of the population in Nepal are Hindus, you find Buddhist flags used more in local destinations in cities or the Himalayas. The prayer flags are kept in all the high passes such as Thorung La Pass, Larkya La Pass, and Cho La Pass to take a few for reference. Mountaineers and climbers have put these peaceful prayers in the 8,000ers as well.
Before initiating any expedition in Nepal, climbers worship the respective mountain and offer prayer flags. Such worships signal that humans should have a close relationship and understanding with the Himalayas. Expeditions and peak climbing are more successful when we respect The Himalayas.
Buddha Jayanti Festival Tours in Nepal introduce beautiful aspects of Lord Buddha and Buddhist shrines. Although Lumbini is the birthplace of Lord Buddha, Buddha Jayanti is celebrated in every monastery in the country. Visit Bouddhanath Stupa and Swayambhunath
Stupa of Kathmandu or Tengboche Monastery of the Everest Region, Shey Gompa of Upper Dolpo Region, or Namgyal Monastery of Upper Mustang Region; you will get a lifelong experience of Buddha Jayanti Festival Tours and Trek in Nepal.