Last Existence: Māyā’s dream

Part of a relief showing Māyā’s dream. Māyā, the queen consort of Śuddhodana, dreams of a white elephant entering her womb through her right side. As soon as she wakes up, she finds out to be pregnant. A framed pilaster, of which only the base and scanty traces of the shaft remain, borders the scene on the left. The base consists of a band below and a listel above, both plain. Vertical tool marks are seen on the back face. Māyā is resting on her left side on a bed, and her arms are lying on the mattress. The bed features turning legs and a drape hanging on the front, behind which a legged footstool is carved. On the left, a female guardian is standing frontally. She is holding a spear in her left hand and what appears to be a shield in her right. She is wearing a paridhāna with a girdle, traces of which are still discernible.