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Birth of Lord Buddha
In 563 B.C.E. Lord Buddha, whose family name was Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was born in the valley of Nepal near the city of Kapilvastu in the forest of Lumbini. His father's name was Shudhodhana and his mother's name was Mahamaya Devi. Shudhodhana, who belonged to the famous Ikshvaku clan, was the king of Madhya Pradesha. Kapilvastu
was the capital of his kingdom.
When the Buddha's mother was pregnant with this child she expressed her desire to the King that she be allowed to go to her father's house in the city of Devadeha. The King gladly accepted her wish and she set out for her father's house with a caravan of her attendants. On the way Mahamaya went into labor and gave birth to this radiant child. She then returned to Kapilvastu with her newborn child and her retinue in order to be with her husband, the king.
According to tradition, as the King was so overjoyed by the birth of his son, he summoned the wise sage and priest named Kaldeval to consult about the child's horoscope. After seeing the brilliant face of the child the sage proclaimed: “This exceptional child will be a great and wise (enlightened) man. Further, if he
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