The most fundamental of Hindu deities, is the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - popular deities include Ganesha, Krishna, Hanuman and goddesses like Lakshmi, Durga,Saraswati.
With the departure of Lord Krihsna (Krishna Avatar), the age of Kali set in, in this age, the true devotion to vedas was replaced by empty rituals. To enlighten the world in such times, Lord Vishnu descended the earth as Buddha, the enlightened one.
Lord Buddha was born to Mayadevi, the wife of Sakya King Shuddhodana, in the Lumbini forest, and named Siddhartha.
Buddha advocated the Middle Path, in which he offered a balanced, harmonious way of life, steering between two extremes of self-indulgence and total abstinence. Buddhism rests upon four Noble Truths:
Suffering is universal,
It is caused by desire and yearning
Suffering can be prevented and overcome and
Eradication of desires can lead to removal of suffering.
To prevent suffering one has to conquer craving and desire and this conquest leads to the attainment of nirvana or complete enlightenment
Buddha is an incarnation of Vishnu
