Buddha Purnima — History, Date & Significance

Buddha Purnima — known globally as Vesak — commemorates three defining moments in the life of Gautama Buddha, all believed to have occurred on the full moon of the month of Vaisakha: his birth at Lumbini, his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, and his parinirvana (passing) at Kushinagar. It is the holiest day of the Buddhist calendar.

Buddhism flourished in Bengal for centuries — the Pala empire, the ruins of the Somapura Mahavihara at Paharpur, and the ancient vihara at Mainamati all testify to that heritage. Today Bangladesh’s Buddhist communities, including the Barua, Chakma, Marma, and other peoples of Chattogram and the Chittagong Hill Tracts, observe Buddha Purnima as their greatest festival, and the day is a national public holiday.