Last Existence: Buddha’s Birth

Part of a relief showing the Buddha’s Birth. In the Lumbinī Park, Māyā gives birth to Siddhārtha holding the branches of a śāla tree. The infant Siddhārtha emerges from the right side. Gods and supernatural beings witness the event. The scene is encased by a pilaster of the Gandharan-Corinthian type featuring a short flute with a concave upper bevelled end. The base features a torus moulding. The plinth is decorated with a half-rosette scroll, the torus with a row of oblique pearls within listels, the cavetto is plain. The cornice is decorated with a row of saw-teeth. A rectangular socket is carved on the bottom face. The back face shows diagonal tool marks.  On the left, Māyā is standing frontal with crossed legs and head slightly turning towards her right. She is grasping a branch of a śāla tree and wrapping the left arm around the back of the female attendant on the right. Māyā’s hair is styled in a curly fringe with a knot, a coil of hair and possibly ornaments. She wears a paridhāna, an uttarīya, and a short necklace.  Next to her, a female attendant is standing in left profile. Her left hand is resting on Māyā’s belly. She is dressed in a paridhāna and an uttarīya, and wears a large wreath and anklets.  Beside her, another woman is standing frontal, the weight of the body is placed on the right leg and the left leg is slightly bent. Her head is turning towards her right. The right hand is up and open, the left holds a palm branch. Her hair and dress are identical to those of Māyā. The bust of a (fe)male figure emerges from the background.