While in this state of meditation u

While in this state of meditation under the tree during the night, the Buddha successfully withstood the temptations of Mara, the personification of desire. Mara appeared in the form of three seductive women.

Persisting in his meditation, Siddhartha gained special powers, such as the ability to see his past lives, and levitation and telepathy.

Eventually, at the end of the night, just as dawn came, Siddhartha fully realized his inner prajna or insight (wisdom). This brought about his awakening or bodhi (hence the ficus tree is known to Buddhists as the bodhi tree).

From the moment of his enlightenment Siddhartha became the Buddha. Traditionally, it is said that at the moment of enlightenment he touched the earth with one hand to call upon the earth to witness his enlightenment. This scene is often shown in Buddhist art, and is known as “bhumisparsa mudra” in Sanskrit