Lord Buddha is considered the ninth avatar (incarnation) of Lord
Vishnu. He is the founder of Buddhism. "Buddha" means
'enlightened one'. Lord Buddha was born in 560 B.C. (approximately). The
place of his birth was Lumbini, near the city of Kapilavastu (now in
Nepal). He was born to the royal couple Suddhodana and Maya Devi. He was
named Siddhartha. He is also known as Gautama Buddha.Lord Buddha realized very early in life that life is an illusion (Maya). He renounced the world when he was twenty eight years old even though he was married. He taught the path of Nirvana (liberation) to his father, wife and son before he left his home forever. His teachings include ahimsa (non-violence) and dharma (right conduct). He left the world in 480 B.C. at the age of eighty. The Mahabodhi Temple (Bodh Gaya, India) was built to honor the place (and the tree) where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.