2017-05-24 Wed

The ninth avatar of Vishnu is believed to be Buddha. Again there is a debate on this as few of the people include Venkatesha as the ninth avatar of Vishnu.

Gautam Buddha was born as Prince Siddhartha around 566 BC to the King and Queen of Kapilavastu. Soon after his birth, an astrologer predicted that Prince Siddhartha was destined to lead the life of a sage and that he would give up his right to the throne and all worldly pleasures.

When Siddhartha grew older he became more and more curious. On one particular day, he asked his charioteer to take him on a tour of the city.

On their way, they came across an old man, sick man, and a dead man. He was deeply moved by seeing these three scenes. And then he came across a sage who was calm and serene.

Several questions came crossed his mind about life and death. He then decided that to get answers to his questions!
At the age of 29, Siddhartha left the palace at night while his wife and son were asleep. He wandered far and wide, trying different ways to find the path of truth. Then finally he reached the city of Bodhgaya and started meditating under a large fig tree.

After 49 days of meditation, at the age of 35, Siddhartha attained enlightenment. From that day on he was known as Buddha or the ‘Awakened One.’

A commemorative stamp was issued for Jayadeva’s Geeta Govinda depicting the ninth avatar of Vishnu ’Buddha’ of INR 5.