Last Existence: Māyā’s Dream

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. The scene is encased by a framed pillar of the Gandharan-Corinthian type. The base and the cornice are plain. A circular nail hole is drilled in the left-proper section of the figured field. The back, top, and bottom faces show tool marks. Māyā is reclined on a bed, her head resting on two pillows, legs raising up, and right hand resting on the knee. The bed originally featured turned legs, a drape hanging on the front, and a legged footstool. Above the figure, the nimbus belonging to the elephant flying down is discernible. On the right, a female figure is standing frontal. She is holding a spear on her right hand, the left is on her waist. In the background, the outline of another figure can be seen. On the left, a third figure is standing in a three-quarter view. She probably held an object in her left hand, the right is on her waist.