Artwork Page for Birth of the Buddha

Details / Information for Birth of the Buddha

Birth of the Buddha

800s

Northeastern India, Bengal, Pala dynasty

(730-1197)
Medium
Black chlorite
Measurements
Overall: 46.4 x 27.3 x 11.4 cm (18 1/4 x 10 3/4 x 4 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1959.349
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

The historical Buddha known as Shakyamuni was born Prince Siddhartha around the end of the 400s BCE near the border of what is today India and Nepal. His mother, Queen Maya, was traveling from her husband’s capital to her family home to give birth, but the baby came early and was born in a grove of shala trees.

The miraculous circumstances of his birth are related in a number of textual sources. They state that he emerged from her right side, so Queen Maya here is shown grasping the branch of a tree with her right hand raised, like a nature divinity. The baby was received by Indra, king of the gods, and immediately he took seven steps. The figure at the lower right is Brahma, the Hindu god of creation. In works of Buddhist art, Hindu gods appear as subservient or inferior to the Buddha.

The Sanskrit inscription records a common Buddhist prayer of this period:

Phenomena arise from causes;
The causes have been revealed by the Buddha,
As have the means for their cessation;
Thus has been declared by the Great Ascetic.
Black sculpture of a central, topless woman wearing a wrap and bands of alternating lines and circle patterned jewelry. She reaches up to grasp a tree branch with her right hand while her other hand extends down to a figure less than half her size. On the other side, a slightly larger figure holds another figure about half their size within the palms of their hands. Sanskrit inscriptions adorn the background (see "Inscription" field).

Birth of the Buddha

800s

Northeastern India, Bengal, Pala dynasty (730-1197)

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