Gautam Buddha was born as a prince in 544 BC in Lumbini, on a Full Moon day in the month of Vaisakh. When he was born it was predicted that the child would redeem the world. Even as a young prince he was touched by the pain and sickness of others. Later he renounced the world and became an ascetic. At the age of 35, he attained enlightenment on the full moon day of Vaisakh. He traveled far and wide preaching the truth and gained a large following consisting of scholars, sanyasis, rulers of states and others, thus forming the Buddhist community.
Gautam Buddha was not a god and the philosophy of Buddhism does not entail any theistic world-view. The teachings of the Buddha are solely to liberate human beings from the misery and sufferings of life. According to the Buddhism, sorrow and desire are the main cause of all the evil and suffering of this world. 
Lord Buddha advocated the Eightfold Path consisting of precepts like right conduct, right motive, right speech, right effort, right resolve, right livelihood, right attention and right meditation to gain mastery over suffering. It is only after following this path one can reach the ultimate aim of Nirvana. Nirvana is the transcendental state of complete liberation. Gautama Buddha lived and taught in northern Inda in the 6th Century B.C.
Buddha travelled far and wide teaching hundreds of followers. Even after death his disciples continued to spread his teachings.Rich and poor alike were attracted by the simplicity of Buddha’s teaching and his emphasis on complete equality of all, a notion antithetical to the existing Hindu caste system. The Mauryan Emperor Ashoka espoused the Buddhist religion in the 3rd century B.C. and helped in spreading it far and wide. . Image: Bodhgaya. Sarnath and Bodhgaya are two of the most important pilgrimage centres for the Buddhists. Though Buddhism originated in India and the religion has gained tremendous popularity throughout the Far East in Asia, there are very few practising Buddhists in the country. 
The number of Buddhists in the world ranges "from less than two hundred million, to more than five hundred million, with the lower number closer to reality."
On this day the followers of Buddha bathe and wear only white clothes. They gather in their Viharas for worship and give alms to monks. Prayers, sermons, and non-stop recitation of Buddhist scriptures resonate in monasteries and viharas. The statue of the Buddha receives special attention everywhere, with people offering it incense, flowers, candles, and fruits. Since Buddha attained enlightenment sitting under a Bodhi (Pipal) tree special care is taken in watering and tending Bodhi trees. 
They light lamps around the trees and decorate with garlands and coloured flags. They reaffirm their faith in the five principles called 'Panch Sheel'. The five principles are not to take life, not to steal, not to lie, not to imbibe liquor or other intoxicants and not to commit adultery. On this day, the Buddhists free birds from cages, distribute fruit and clothes to the sick and refrain from eating meat.
Bodh Gaya in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh are the main centers of celebration of this festival. . Besides these two, areas with large Buddhist population like Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh also celebrate this festival with great devotion and enthusiasm
Bodh gaya