Guru Purnima is that particular day in the Hindu calendar when every disciple, every student honor their Guru and show their respect and appreciation towards them. If you talk about Guru Purnima history then it will go back to the ancient days when Guru Vyas used to live. The word Guru itself is divided into 2 sanskrit syllables “gu” and “ru” where “gu” means darkness and “ru” means remover of the darkness.
Every year Guru Purnima is celebrated on a Purnima which basically means a fall moon night. It is just a symbol of the Hindus. The full moon reflects the work of the Guru and how his works enlightens his disciples. Just like the light of the moon clears all the darkness similarly the knowledge of the Guru clears all the darkness from the disciple’s mind and heart. This day is marked as a sacred day and disciples normally perform puja for their teachers.
Another name for Guru Purnima is Vyasa Purnima to dedicate the day to the Godly figure. Guru Purnima is also celebrated by the Buddhists. However they do not follow the concept like the Hindus. They have their own theory about Guru Purnima. They are of the opinion that it is the day when Lord Buddha gave his sermon at Saranath.
The Buddhists believe that Lord Buddha was their sole teacher and the day is dedicated to him. However if the celebration is compared between the Hindus and the Buddhists then it can be seen that it is quite similar. For this festival there are various poems that are written by the Hindus and even Buddhists do the same. There are various classical songs that are sung by the disciples. Even the Buddhists sing their own type of songs during this festival.