Last Existence: Birth Cycle

A relief with two scenes from the Last Existence of the Buddha separated by an encased pilaster of the Gandharan-Corinthian type, a second one closes the left scene. The base is a plain fillet, the cornice originally consisted of a series of two plain listels and a larger band on top probably decorated. On the back face, there are parallel vertical flat chisel marks. At the top ends, there are two sockets. The first scene on the right represents the Return to Kapilavastu. After his birth in Lumbinī, the infant Siddhārtha is brought back to Kapilavastu on a chariot. A covered chariot drawn by two maned lions with pendent tongues transports Māyā, who is holding the infant Siddhārtha in her lap. The woman is shown frontal and is adorned with a necklace and earrings. Trees are carved in front of the lion and in the background. The next scene represents Siddhārtha’s horoscope. Asita, an old ṛṣi, predicts to Śuddhodana that in the future, his son will either become a universal monarch (cakravartin) or a buddha. In the centre of the scene, King Śuddhodana sits with crossed ankles on his throne with turned legs. His feet are resting on a low stool. The head and bust are tilted to his right, the left hand is lying on the knee, while the right hand is raised, probably in a gesture of conversation/question. He wears a paridhāna and an uttarīya, a long necklace, large earrings and a turban with a front knot. On the left of the king, Mahāprajāpatī, Māyā’s sister, is sitting with crossed ankles, her feet are resting on a low stool. The right hand is raised in a similar gesture to that of Śuddhodana, the left hand is lying on the knee. Next to the couple, on the left, is Asita sitting on a stool. He is holding the infant Bodhisattva in his lap. In the background, in between figures, there are three unidentified elements, probably heads of figures.