Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday greeted the nation on the occasion of Budh Purnima.

PM Narendra Modi in a tweet said, “Buddha Purnima greetings to the people of India. The teachings of Lord Buddha are revered across the world. Inspired by Lord Buddha, let us further the spirit of peace and harmony in our society”.

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Buddha Purnima greetings to the people of India. The teachings of Lord Buddha are revered across the world. Inspired by Lord Buddha, let us further the spirit of peace and harmony in our society. #MannKiBaat https://t.co/6hw3k3y36j

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— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 29, 2018

 In his monthly radio programme, Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi said that Buddha Purnima is a special day for every Indian. We must be proud of the fact that India is the birthplace of Lord Buddha, the very synonym of power of compassion, service and sacrifice, who guided millions of people around the world.

This Buddha Purnima reminds us of all of our obligation to emulate Lord Buddha’s teaching as well as, pledge ourselves to follow his footsteps. Lord Buddha was the fountainhead of egalitarianism, peace, harmony and brotherhood, PM Modi said.

These are human values, which are most desired in the world today. Baba Saheb Dr Ambedkar stressed that Lord Buddha has been a great inspiration in his social philosophy. Baba Saheb had said –“My Social philosophy may be said to be enshrined in three words; liberty, equality and fraternity. My Philosophy has roots in religion and not in political science. I have derived them from the teaching of my master, The Buddha, ” added PM Modi.

Buddha Purnima is the birthday holiday traditionally celebrated in most of East Asia to commemorate the birth of the Prince Siddhartha Gautama, later the Gautama Buddha and founder of Buddhism.

It is also celebrated in South and Southeast Asia as Vesak which also acknowledges the enlightenment and death of the Buddha.

Gautama was born in Lumbini in modern-day Nepal, in the year 623 B.C., according to the Nepalese Account, and raised in Kapilavastu. At the age of thirty five, he attained enlightenment (nirvana) underneath a Bodhi tree at Bodhgaya (modern day India). He delivered his first sermon at Sarnath, India.

He died at the age of eighty in Kushinagar, India.