Traditional belief is that he was born a prince in Lumbinī, Nepal in the Terai lowlands near the foothills of the Himalayas. However, considerable archeological evidence now shows that he may have been born in Kalinga -- now Orissa in India. 7 He was a member of the Śãkyas clan. His father, Suddhodana, was king of the clan. His mother was named Maya.

There is no consensus on the date of his birth. Modern Buddhists of the Theravada tradition suggest he was born in 623 or 624 BCE. Until recently, many religious historians have preferred birth dates ranging from 567 to 487 BCE. Various modern scholars have suggested dates from 420 to 502 BCE. In short, nobody really knows.

In common with many other great religious leaders, many miraculous stories were associated with his birth. He emerged from his mother's side without causing her any pain. The earth shook as he was born. As a newborn, he was miraculously showered with water. He stood up, took seven steps, announced that he would be the "chief of the world." He also stated that this would be his last reincarnation.

He was given the name Siddhãrtha Gautama. Siddhãrtha means "one who has achieved his aim." Gautama was his clan name. He was sometimes referred to as Śãkyamuni which means "the sage of the Śãkyas."

He may have been born into the second of the four Indian castes -- the aristocratic warrior caste called Kşatriyas.

His early life in the palace:

Śãkyamuni was raised as a Hindu. His parents assumed that he would succeed his father later in his life. His parents were concerned about a prophecy that astrologers gave at the time of his birth. They predicted that he would become either a universal monarch or a monk who would be a great religious teacher. His parents raised him in a state of luxury in the hope that he would become attached to earthly things and to pleasure. This would make it less likely that he choose the religious life.

At the age of 16, he was married to his wife Yaśodharã. When he was 29, his wife had a son, Rãhula. Shortly after his son's birth, some sources say that he took four journeys by chariot. Other sources say he had four visions. During the first trip/vision he was deeply disturbed by seeing an elderly, helpless, frail man. On the second, he saw an emaciated and depressed man suffering from an advanced disease. On the third, he spotted a grieving family carrying the corpse of one of their own to a cremation site. He reflected deeply upon the suffering brought about by old age, illness and death. On his fourth trip/vision, he saw a religious mendicant -- a śramaņa -- who led a reclusive life of meditation, and was calm and serene. The four encounters motivated him to follow the path of the mendicant and find a spiritual solution to the problems brought about by human suffering.

He left his wife, child, luxurious lifestyle, and future role as a leader of his people in order to seek truth. It was an accepted practice at the time for some men to leave their family and lead the life of an ascetic.

Seeking the solution to human suffering:

He first tried meditation, which he learned from two teachers. He felt that these were valuable skills. However, meditation could not be extended forever, He eventually had to return to normal waking consciousness and face the unsolved problems relating to birth, sickness, old age and death.

He then joined a group of similarly-minded students of Brahmanism in a forest where he practiced breath control and fasted intensely for six years. He is said to have brought himself to the brink of death by only eating a few grains of rice each day. Some sources say that he consumed only a spoonful of bean soup per day. This technique produced a series of physical discomforts. Ultimately, he rejected this path as well. He realized that neither the extremes of the mortification of the flesh or of hedonism would lead to enlightenment. He determined that a better path to achieve the state of Nirvana -- a state of liberation and freedom from suffering -- was to pursue a "Middle Way." This way was largely defined by moderation and meditation.

Gautama Buddha or Siddhartha Gautam was the founder of Buddhism. This spiritual leader is regarded in high regard among followers of Buddhism as he left all worldly pleasures at a young age to become an ascetic. Though there is uncertainty over the birth date of this noble soul but it is stated that Gautama Buddha lived between 563 BC and 483 BC.

Gautam Buddha is also known as Sakyamuni and his teachings were passed orally and his collection teachings were mentioned in Triptika few centuries after his death. The main source of information regarding Lord Buddha can be had from various Buddhist texts. It is said that Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini forest in Nepal under Sal tree and he was named Siddhartha on his birth.

The birth date of Gautama Buddha is celebrated as Vesak in Theravada countries. The name Siddhartha means one who achieves his aim and it was seer Asita who stated that Gautama Siddhartha would either become a great king or a holy man.

It is stated that Gautama Siddhartha led a pretty luxurious life as a prince and at the age of sixteen was married off to Yasodhara who gave birth to a son named Rahula and after staying in Kapilavastu for 29 years Lord Buddha left all worldly pleasures to live the life of the ascetic. After witnessing illness, old age, death and ascetic while moving on his chariot in his kingdom he decided to leave all the worldly pleasures and escaped with the help of his charioteer Channa on his horse Kanthaka and it is said that the hooves of the horse were muffled by the gods to prevent the guards about the leaving of Gautam Buddha and this particular event is termed as The Great Departure.

After leaving his kingdom Gautam Buddha lived the life of austere for six years and realizing that it was doing no good sat under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya where he achieved Enlightenment and came to be known as the Buddha or Awakened One. He is also referred to as the Sakyamuni Buddha. For the rest of forty five years Gautama Buddha traveled across Gangetic Plains and taught his doctrine to numerous people. This is how Buddhism spread across the world and Gautama Buddha came to be regarded a revered saint.