Saga Dawa

Buddha Jayanti in Bhutia language is called Saga Dawa. According to Hindu Calendar this festival falls on Baishaki Purnima in the month of April-May. Siddhartha Gautam, who was born in the forest of Lumbini in the district of Rupendi in Nepal about 563 years before the birth of Jesus' Christ, later on became Lord Gautam Buddha after achieving enlightenment and became the spiritual leader of Buddhist religion. Lord Gautam Buddha after achieving enlightenment and became the spiritual leader of Buddhist religion.

Saga Dawa is the festival celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of this great spiritual leader. Government declares holiday on this day.

Siddhartha Gautam had to mourn the death of his mother immediately after he was born. He was put to the care of a step mother who also died a premature death after few years. Suddhadhan, the father of Siddhartha Gautam, was the King of Kapilavastu. From an early age Siddhartha Gautam developed aversion for materialistic world and showed an inclination towards the life of a recluse which finally resulted in this vehement disapproved of the luxury and pompous court life of his father.

While on a stroll he chanced to see diseased, aged and poor people suffering which set him contemplating as to why people have to suffer on this earth. His depressed mind reached its height when he saw a dead man.

Being unable to answer himself the reason of a man's birth, his old age and, finally, his death on earth, Siddhartha left behind his wife Yoshodhara, only son Rahul and the luxurious court life of his father in quest for true explanation of life.

The day on which Siddhartha renounced the world and took to hermitage falls on a Baishaki Purnima and is called Mahavinishkraman. Co-incidentally the birth, enlightenment and the death of Gautam Buddha all fall on the same day of Baishaki Purnima, that is why, the festival of Saga Dawa is highly reversed by Buddhist.

Siddhartha could not get a satisfactory explanation from his associations with pandits and Sadu-Santas; his thirst for truth remained unquenched. So he left them behind and finally came to Gaya, a province in Bihar, and started meditating under a pipal tree till he achieved enlightenment and became a Buddha. Today, the religion Buddha preached is known as Buddhism, his philosophy as Boudha Philosophy and the place where he achieved enlightenment as Boudhgaya. Buddhism, after spreading in India and Nepal spread to countries like Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and in the North Eastern countries like Tibet, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Korea arid Japan.

Buddhism has two different sects, Hinayana and Mahayana. The Buddhism that spread and flourished in Tibet, Nepal and Sikkim is Mahayana Buddhism. In Sri Lanka and other countries Hinayana Buddhism is followed.

Buddha, who preached four truth of life and eight ways to lead this transitory and short life, finally died at the age of eighty years in Kushinagar. The great day in which he died is called Mahaparinirman and this day also happens to be a Baishaki Purnima.

Saga Dawa, being a Govt. holiday, all Buddhist of Sikkim assemble at sacred and ancient gumpas like Pemayangchi, Tashiding etc. in their national dress and offer items like water, incense sticks etc puja and dhog to different deities along with Lord Buddha and than they lake out a religious procession around gumpas carrying sacred scriptures on their heads and enchanting "Om manay Pamay horn 11 a. typical Buddhist mantra while turning handy prayer wheel with one hand.

This is also the appropriate time to erect dhaja in the name of dead ancestors or family members for the peace of their soul either near a gumpa or at a place chosen by them ... The day of the festival is a day of congregation when all lamas, nuns, the recluse and the religious minded citizen gather at gumpas to receive blessing and rakshasutra from reincarnated gurus and lamas. Thus a great jest, zeal and enthusiasm is involved in the celebration of this festival.

According to Nepali custom Buddha Jayanti is celebrated with Buddha puja, sroth path of Buddhist Teachings and by performing dances in public places based' upon Buddhist philosophy. Exhibition of art and culture and organization of religious discourses by emminent personalities are some of the other events that are usually carried out during this festival.

The contribution of Buddhism in human civilization and in their cultural and social development is beyond measure or description. We all believed that the great day is not very far away when Buddha Jayanti will assume the status of an International Festival as an appreciation for its humanitarian outlook and endeavor in propagating universal peace and fraternity.