In ancient India, the term "buddha" is referred to an enlightened being, and while there has long been a debate about the exact year when Siddhartha Gautama, now known as Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born, legends about Lord Buddha's journey to enlightenment affirm that India was his true home.
Lord Buddha was born into a royal family in Kapilvastu, today believed to comprise the villages of Piprahwa, Ganvaria and Salagarh in Uttar Pradesh. Siddhartha Gautama's early life was one of luxury and plenitude. Lord Buddha's life changed when he made a short trip into the world and saw a common man in suffering. When Lord Buddha saw the struggles and vagaries of life in the visages of his people, he renounced his family and all royal comforts, deciding to lead the life of an ascetic. Lord Buddha's life in meditation started in Pragbodhi in Bihar where Pragbodhi is believed to be the site where he meditated with severe penance for six years.
One of the oldest and largest monasteries in the valley, it is also a centre for Buddhism studies.
Bomdila monastery (also known as the Gentse Gaden Rabgyel Lling monastery) is a replica of the Tsona Gontse monastery at Tsona, southern Tibet.
The Mindrolling monastery is considered to be one of the largest centres for Buddhist studies and culture preservation today. About 300 monks live and study here.