Bodhgaya

Festive Celebrations

A center of Buddhist learning and faith, all Buddhist religious festivals are celebrated with great fervor. Buddha Jayanti or the birth of Lord Buddha is celebrated on the full moon night in Vaisakha (either in April or May). It was also on Buddha Poornima that he attained enlightenment and ultimately after preaching the five principles of life and the path of eight-fold truth for long, he attained 'Nirvana'. This festival is marked with prayer meets, sermons on the life of Buddha, religious discourses, continuous recitation of Buddhist scriptures, group meditation, processions and worship of the statue of Buddha. The Mahabodhi Temple, at this time dons a colourful appearance and is bedecked with flowers and colourful flags. Another festival celebrated with great fervour is the Nyingma Monlam Chenmo in January, which is a 3-week long festival for world peace and is attended by the Dalai Lama himself. Other than these, almost all year through, especially between October and March, the Root Institute offers series of introductory and intermediate-level courses on Tibetan Buddhist meditation and philosophy. Covering a wide range of Buddhist topics, these teachings speak of practical application of the Buddha's teachings in everyday life.