Gautam Buddha was one of the greatest religious teachers that the world has seen. His teachings, expounded in Buddhism, are immensely popular in countries. He was born in 563 B.C. as Siddhartha to Shuddhodama, the king of Kapilavastu in Nepal. His mother Mayadevi expired when he was just seven days old and he was brought up by his stepmother Gautami.
Siddhartha was made to lead a very sheltered life. One day he ventured out of his palace and saw a very old man who could barely walk, a sick man who was in a great deal of pain and a corpse. These sights had a deep impact on him. This made Siddhartha very sad and he started to rethink his life and began to try to fathom the reason of existence. Thereafter, he left the palace in search of salvation. He roamed around the country meeting various sadhus and saints in search for inner peace. Finally, a day under a tree at Bodhgaya, he was blessed with the divine light. Buddha died in 483 B.C.