Buddha's Conception
Maya's Dream
King Suddhodana was ruler of Magadha in Southern Bihar in the border region of India and
Nepal, with its capital at Kapilavastu. His wife Queen Maya Devi or Mahamaya saw a strange
dream at night while asleep at her palace somewhere in 624-623 B.C. The years of conceivement
and birth of the Prince have been given different in different sources. She saw that the
Bodhisattva descended from the Tushita heaven and assumed the form of a noble white elephant.
He approached her from the north side with a white lotus in his silver coloured trunk. He moved
thrice around her couch and then entered her womb. She revealed her dream to the king the next
day. The king invited sage Asita who was an expert astrologist to interpret the dream. The Sage
explained that the queen had conceived a son who will become either a power monarch or a
Buddha.
Birth of Prince Siddhartha
Queen Mahamaya carried her baby for almost ten months. She wished to deliver her first baby at
her parents‟ home at Devadaha city. The king in fulfillment of her desire made elaborate
arrangements to make the journey of the queen as comfortable as possible. During the journey
from her palace to her parents‟ home she wanted to stay for taking rest in a beautiful Lumbini
garden. It was there in this garden that the queen felt the labour pain. She stretched out her hands
to get hold of a branch of a sala tree. She delivered her child while standing under the tree in the
same position in the 623 B.C.
Birth of Prince Sidhartha
Princesses Mahamaya holding a branch of Sal tree in the Lumbini Garden. Prince Siddhartha, the
Bodhisattva (the future Buddha) emerges exactly from the same place of her body, head erect
and carrying special marks on his body. Gods hurry towards her receive the baby. Lahore
museum, Lahore.
Bath of Prince Siddhartha
Prince Siddhartha could already stand on his own immediately after his birth. The title
Bodhisattva walked seven paces and announced his future importance in a lion's voice, „in the
entire world I am the chief and that I will take no more birth again‟. As per legends, he was given
bath by his maternal grandmother and maternal aunt, while gods Indra and Brahma poured water
over the child.
Gods Indra and Brahman pouring water on the newly born Prince at the time of his first bath.
This Grey Schist panel of 3rd century CE is preserved in Peshawar Museum. Peshawar
National Museum of Pakistan, Karachi
The newly born prince Siddhartha was safely brought back to Kapilavastu from the Lumbini
garden. To celebrate this auspicious occasion excellent arrangements were made. A royal
procession bedecked with singing and dancing men, women and the funsters accompanied the
baby prince traveling through the highly decorated road. The panel is an excellent example of the
creation of action; the effect is full of feeling of movements.
Horoscope of Prince Siddhartha
After the birth of the Prince, Rishi Asita was once again invited to the palace to foretell the
future of the child. In this picture the sage is examining the special marks on the body of the
baby and discussing with the king. He prepared a horoscope and interpreted it for the royal
couple. He informed that the child would become a Buddha or, according to his physical
characteristics, such as the Urna, the little whorl of the luminous hair between the eyebrows and
the Ushnisha, the protuberance at the top of the head might become a future universal monarch.
This panel was found from Naogram and on display at Lahore Museum.