Buddhists believe in rebirth, and many tales are told about Gautama's previous births. There are over 500 of these jataka tales. The tales describe how, through human and animal forms, Gautama attained the moral perfections needed for a final birth. These moral perfections are qualities such as generosity, patience, and loving kindness.

The stories are part of the folklore of India. The birth of Buddha is celebrated round the country as Buddha Purnima. This day is marked by a full moon night and Buddhist visit their temples and lay offerings on Buddhas feet to gain blessings.

The accounts of Gautama's last birth are set in the upper Ganges Valley of northern India, in the foothills of the Himalaya. Siddhartha Gautama was born near the town of Kapilavastu, in what is now Nepal. Gautama was from the warrior caste in Indian society. His father was Suddhodhana, a local ruler and prince of the Shakya people. His mother's name was Maya. She is often referred to as Mahamaya, or Great Maya.

As the stories go, Maya dreamed that a white elephant entered her womb when Gautama was conceived. White elephants are very rare, so Buddhists take this as a sign of the child's future greatness. When the time came for her child to be born, Maya was on her way to her parent's home.

She stopped near Kapilavastu in a grove of trees called the Lumbini grove. This site now attracts many Buddhist pilgrims. The story describes how Gautama was born, without pain, from Maya's side. This may have been a way of describing an early Caesarian section, or an emphasis on the miraculous. Maya died quite soon afterward and the future Buddha was brought up by his aunt, Prajapati.

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