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Celebrated Buddha Purnima at Dhaka

Buddha Purnima, the biggest religious festival of the Buddhist community, is being celebrated across the country. On this holy day, Buddha was born as Siddartha Gautam in Kopilabostu of Indian state of Bihar in around 563 B.C., achieved enlightenment at the age of 35 (528 B.C.) and finally embraced `nirvana" at the age of 80 (483 B.C.). The programmes include hoisting of national and religious flags atop all monasteries and recitation from the sacred verses of the Tripitak and breaking of fast by the monks. According to the Buddhist religion, Buddha was incarnated as Santos Kumar. After fulfilling his life in this form,he was living in paradise until he was approached by the gods and asked if he would agree to be reborn as a human so that he could roam the earth and not only lead the gods on the road to paradise, but to also save humans, showing them the way. He agreed, and was placed into the womb of his mother, after which he was born on Baisakhi purnima, in 623 BC. His birth, day of enlightenment and his death are therefore celebrated by Buddhists during the Buddha Purnima festival. (Photo by Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/NurPhoto)

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