Written by: Sirat Gohar Daudpoto
Posted on: August 06, 2026 | 
A depiction of the birth scene of Prince Siddhartha in Gandhara art
About twenty-six hundred years ago, a great teacher arrived in this part of the world who led people to the way of eternal salvation, dismissing prevailing religious beliefs and rituals. This is a story of that teacher, Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, whose life was full of miracles, whose personality was ideal, and whose teachings were the path to enlightenment. Through his preaching, he taught self-discipline, coexistence, and the path to enlightenment. He is among the great persons the world has ever had.
Gandharan sculpture depicting Queen Maya Devi’s Dream and its interpretation
Siddhartha was born in a royal house of the Shakya kingdom in Kapilavastu in the seventh century BC. His father Suddhodana was the king, and his mother Maya Devi was the queen of Shakya, whose capital city was Kapilavastu.
Interpretation of the Dream of Queen Maya
One night Queen Maya Devi saw a dream while sleeping, in which she dreamt of a white elephant carrying a lotus flower entering her womb. That vision worried her upon waking up, so she told her husband about it. King Suddhodana summoned Brahman sages and royal astrologers to his palace to interpret Queen Maya Devi’s dream. The wise men, led by Asita, a revered sage of Kapilavastu, interpreted the dream and predicted that the Queen would conceive a male child of great destiny. The prediction of the dream proved to be true, and the Queen conceived a child.
A Gandharan relief showing the Dream of Queen Maya Devi. Lahore Museum.
An expectant mother, Queen Maya Devi, was traveling to his father’s home to give birth to the child, as it was a custom in ancient Indian society. She passed through a Sal grove in the Lumbini gardens in Nepal, where she felt to take rest. She took a bath in the sacred Pushkarini pond and immediately afterwards gave birth to Prince Siddhartha. It was the full moon day, Baishakha Purnima, of May 623 BC.
A Gandharan relief depicting Decent of Buddha from Trayastrimsa Heaven. Victoria and Albert Museum.
Siddhartha’s birth was miraculous. He was not born in a usual way. He emerged from his mother’s right side, while she was holding a branch of the Sal tree, and was first received by the devas, gods Indira and Brahma, who wrapped him in the heavenly cloth and then presented him to the human attendants. And nine celestial dragons appeared in the sky and bathed the infant with cool and warm fragrant water. Immediately upon his birth, infant Siddhartha took his first seven steps, underneath which lotus flowers bloomed, and he said: “I am chief of the world, Eldest am I in the world, Foremost am I in the world. This is the last birth. There is now no more coming to be.”
On the seventh day of Siddhartha’s birth, King Suddhodana invited sages and experts in signs to see the horoscope of his child. The sages witnessed thirty-two marks in the child and, having consulted a book of signs, predicted two possible destinies. One, he will become a great king, if he stays home. Second, he will become a noble sage if he leaves home. When the sages left, Siddhartha fell asleep.
A Gandharan image showing the prediction of Asita about Prince Siddhartha
Another sage, Asita, who had previously predicted the arrival of this child, visited the King’s palace after hearing from the devas that King Suddhodana was blessed with a son endowed with the bodily marks of a Buddha. He examined thirty-two physical marks and eighty other minor marks, then told Suddhodana that his son would become a Buddha. After saying this, Asita broke into tears, telling Suddhodana that his departure was near and that he would be unable to see the Buddha or hear his teachings.
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