☸ Buddha & Buddhist History
Explore 2,500 years of profound history, teachings, key disciples, scholars, and sacred places.
Life of the Buddha
From Lumbini birth to Mahaparinirvana at Kushinagar.
Interactive Timeline
Visual chronicle of eras, councils, and historic events.
Disciples & Scholars
Key figures, monarchs, and thinkers who shaped Buddhism.
Core Teachings
Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, and Dharma principles.
The Awakened One: Siddhartha Gautama
Siddhartha Gautama lived in ancient Northern India during the 6th–5th century BCE. Born as a prince of the Shakya clan at Lumbini (modern-day Nepal), he renounced worldly luxury at age 29 to seek the cessation of universal human suffering.
After six years of intense ascetic experimentation, he realized the wisdom of the Middle Way. At age 35, under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, he reached complete awakening (Sammā Sambodhi) and spent the next 45 years teaching the Dharma.
Key Historical Figures
Disciples, kings, and scholars who preserved and spread the Dharma.
Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)
Siddhattha Gotama
The historical founder of Buddhism who attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya and spent 45 years teaching the path to libe...
View Profile →Ananda
Ānanda
The devoted attendant and cousin of the Buddha who memorised all the discourses and recited them at the First Buddhist Council, preserving t...
View Profile →Sariputta
Sāriputta
Foremost disciple in wisdom, who with Moggallana formed the Buddha's two chief disciples, renowned for systematic exposition of the Dhamma....
View Profile →Moggallana
Mahāmoggallāna
Foremost disciple in psychic powers, who alongside Sariputta was one of the two chief disciples, known for extraordinary meditative attainme...
View Profile →Mahakasyapa
Mahākassapa
The senior monk who convened the First Buddhist Council after the Buddha's death and is venerated as the first Patriarch in the Zen Buddhist...
View Profile →Nagarjuna
Nāgārjuna
Founder of the Madhyamaka school of Mahayana philosophy, who developed the concept of emptiness (shunyata) and is considered the most influe...
View Profile →Major Historical Events
Key milestones in the historical development of Buddhism.
Buddhism Enters China via the Silk Road
📅 0067-01-01 (Approx)
Buddhist missionaries and traders brought Buddhism to China along the Silk Road, with the religion gaining imperial recognition du...
Nagarjuna Develops Madhyamaka Philosophy
📅 0150-01-01 (Approx)
Around the 2nd century CE, the philosopher Nagarjuna developed the Madhyamaka (Middle Way) school of Mahayana philosophy, articula...
Buddhism Spreads to Sri Lanka — Mahinda's Mission
📅 0247-01-01 (Approx)
Around 247 BCE, Emperor Ashoka's son Mahinda led a mission to Sri Lanka and converted King Devanampiya Tissa. The Theravada Buddhi...
Third Buddhist Council under Emperor Ashoka
📅 0250-01-01 (Approx)
Convened by Emperor Ashoka at Pataliputra (modern Patna) around 250 BCE, the Third Council addressed schisms and doctrinal dispute...
Emperor Ashoka's Conversion to Buddhism
📅 0261-01-01 (Approx)
Following the devastating Kalinga War (261 BCE), in which over 100,000 people were killed, Emperor Ashoka was struck by profound r...
Second Buddhist Council at Vaishali
📅 0383-01-01 (Approx)
Held approximately 100 years after the Buddha's death, the Second Council addressed disciplinary disputes between conservative and...
Founding of Nalanda University
📅 0427-01-01 (Approx)
Nalanda Mahavihara was established in the Gupta period, with significant royal patronage from around the 5th century CE. It became...
First Buddhist Council at Rajagriha
📅 0483-01-01 (Approx)
Three months after the Buddha's death, 500 senior monks convened at Rajagriha under the leadership of Mahakasyapa. Ananda recited ...