Which religious leader practiced rigorous asceticism before attaining enlightenment?

The religious leader who practiced rigorous asceticism before attaining enlightenment is Siddhartha Gautama, who became known as the Buddha. Prior to his enlightenment, Siddhartha embarked on a path of extreme asceticism, renouncing worldly pleasures and enduring severe physical hardships in an attempt to understand the nature of suffering and achieve spiritual liberation. However, he eventually realized that such extremes were not the path to enlightenment and instead adopted the Middle Way, a balanced approach between indulgence and asceticism, leading to his awakening under the Bodhi tree.