History of Buddhism

As the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, Nepal obviously has a rich history of Buddhism since ancient times. The origin of Buddhism is dated back to the sixth century when Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini. Gautam Buddha went on an enlightenment journey in his early life. It is believed that after a long spiritual journey, Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment. The foundation of Buddhism revolves around his enlightenment journey and his teachings in different places in Nepal and India.

The popularity of Buddhism rose drastically during the period of the Mauryan Empire under emperor Ashoka. Ashoka himself adopted the teachings of Buddhism and widely promoted its beliefs. In the coming centuries, different popular monuments like Bouddhanath and Swayambhunath were built which even more promoted Buddhism and were later recognized as the pilgrimage for the Buddhist people.

Now, the birthplace of Buddha, Lumbini is recognized as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many monasteries, retreat centres and monuments are built by different countries in the Lumbini region of Nepal.