The festival of Buddha Purnima or Buddha Jayanti celebrates the birth of Gautam Buddha in 563 BC. The most important of all the Buddhist festivals, Buddha Purnima is considered the most auspicious of all the days in the year. Although there are minor regional variations in the way Buddha Purnima is observed, the festival is generally observed by lighting oil lamps before the image of the Buddha, by reciting prayers or reading from the scriptures. Meditation and offerings of flowers, silk scarves, incense and fruit are also part of the worship rituals.Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh) and Bodhgaya (Bihar) are, in particular, known for the Buddha Purnima celebrations which are held in these two cities.
Buddha Purnima or Buddha Jayanti is known as Visakhapuja in Thailand, Makha Bousa Festival in Laos and Vesak in Sri Lanka. Here are some exhibt pages from our distinguished reader Dr Eli Moallem of Israel that feature stamps on Great Buddha Festival from Thailand, Laos and Sri Lanka.
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