Buddha Purnima 2025: Date, timings, history, significance and all you need to know about Buddha's Birthday

Buddha Purnima 2025: Buddha Purnima marks the birth of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. Know the festival's date, history and significance.

Buddha Purnima 2025: Buddha's Birthday, also called Buddha Jayanti or Buddha Day, is a major Buddhist festival observed across much of South, Southeast, and East Asia. The sacred occasion of Buddha Purnima commemorates the birth of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who later attained enlightenment and became the Buddha, founding Buddhism.

Celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Vaisakha (typically in April or May), the day is marked by deep devotion, with Buddhists taking part in a variety of spiritual rituals and religious observances. From date to timings, here's all you need to know.

Buddha Purnima 2025 date and timings

This year, the 2587th birth anniversary of Gautama Buddha will be celebrated on Monday, May 12. According to Drik Panchang, the auspicious timings to observe the occasion are as follows:

Purnima Tithi begins -08:01 PM on May 11, 2025

Purnima Tithi ends -10:25 PM on May 12, 2025

Buddha Purnima 2025 history

Though the exact dates of Buddha's birth and death remain uncertain, historians generally place his life between 563–483 BC. Born in Lumbini, Nepal, Gautam Buddha attained Nirvana at the age of 35. Buddha Purnima is a day dedicated to reflecting on Buddhism's core teachings: peace, compassion, and enlightenment.

Buddha Purnima honours the life of Gautama Buddha, celebrated on the full moon in May. (Freepik)

In certain regions of South and Southeast Asia, the day aligns with Vesak, which also commemorates Buddha's enlightenment and his passing into Nirvana. The festival serves as an opportunity to promote messages of harmony and inner peace.

Buddha Purnima 2025 significance

In Buddhism, the full moon holds deep spiritual significance, as three pivotal moments in Gautam Buddha's life are believed to have occurred on this day. The full moon in May is particularly sacred: first, it marks the birth of Prince Siddhartha at Lumbini Grove; second, it commemorates his enlightenment beneath the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya after six years of intense spiritual pursuit; and third, it signifies his passing into Nibbana (Nirvana) at Kusinara at the age of eighty, marking his release from the cycle of rebirth after 45 years of teaching.