From Bodhisattva to Buddha: The Incredible Saga of Siddhartha Gautama
The Buddha was born in Lumbin i (in modern-day Nepal) which was located in the Koshala kingdom and the kingdom was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas . He was born into the Shakya clan . The Shakya tribe was located in the Himalayan foothills and this small republic (ganarajya) was one of the vassal states of Koshola Mahajanapada. The Buddha was the son of a chief of the Shakyas. It was primarily in such ganasanghas during the Age of the Mahajanapadas when there was the emergence of some prominent monarchical and non-monarchical political formations in the Indian subcontinent that we find the growth of various heterodox sects, including Buddhism. Because the Buddha was born into the Shakya clan , h e is also known as Shakyamuni as he belonged to the Shakya tribe. Also, the Buddha was born into the Suryavanshi (solar dynasty) of the Kshatriya varna or caste. In Buddhist literature, he is also called Siddhartha Gautama ...