What is the birth of the Buddha, and who is Queen Maya? This video examines a stone relief from ancient Gandhara (modern-day Pakistan and Afghanistan) dated to the 2nd century CE that once decorated a Buddhist stupa.

The relief depicts the miraculous birth of the historical Buddha, Buddha Shakyamuni, to his mother, Queen Maya, in the Lumbini grove. Today, this relief is in the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington D.C.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction to a Buddhist stupa relief from ancient Gandhara depicting the Buddha’s birth

00:36 Queen Maya and the Buddha’s birth

01:11 Looking closely at the birth scene

02:06 Why is Prince Siddhartha represented as a young boy?

02:54 Stupa reliefs