Magha Puja is a very important holiday in Buddhism. According to the Pali Scriptures, Lord Buddha traveled to the city of Rajagaha nine months after his attainment of enlightenment. On the full moon day of the third lunar month, 1,250 Arahants (Noble monks) from various locations assembled together to pay homage to Lord Buddha. Each Arahant came on his own initiative, without any prior notification to each other. All of them were ordained directly by Lord Buddha. This spontaneous assembly was a unique congregation that occurred only once in Lord Buddha's lifetime. That evening Lord Buddha gave the discourse "Ovadha Patimokha" which laid out the basic principles of his teachings summarized in three issues:
-Abstain from evil conduct
-Cultivate good moral conduct
-Purify the mind by meditation practice
