Traditional belief is that he was born a prince in Lumbinī, Nepal in the Terai lowlands near the foothills of the Himalayas. However, considerable archeological evidence now shows that he may have been born in Kalinga, now Orissa in India. He was a member of the Śakyas clan. His father, Suddhodana, was king of the clan. His mother was named Maya.
There is no consensus on the date of his birth. Modern Buddhists of the Theravada tradition suggest he was born in 623 or 624 BCE.