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1
BIRTH
The figure at the bottom left is
Queen Maya, who dreamt of a white
elephant in her womb, following
which she discovered she was
pregnant with Prince Siddhartha, the
future Buddha. Queen Maya gave
birth to him standing against a tree in
a
sala
grove in Lumbini, Nepal.
2
ENLIGHTENMENT
The central figure shows an ornamented Prince Siddhartha,
touching the Earth to call her to witness his enlightenment
and triumph over temptation. Prince Siddhartha attained
enlightenment after 49 days of meditation under a Bodhi
tree in Bodhgaya.
3
TURNING THE WHEEL OF LAW
The scene above Queen Maya shows
the Buddha delivering his first sermon
on the doctrine of the Middle Path at
Deer Park, Sarnath.
4
TAMING THE MAD ELEPHANT
The Buddha proves his divinity by
calming a wild elephant about to
trample him in Rajagriha. This event
is depicted on the top left.
5
DESCENT FROM
TRAYASTRIMSA HEAVEN
Queen Maya passed away shortly
after delivering Prince Siddhartha.
Following his enlightenment, Buddha
ascended to heaven to visit Queen
Maya and preach to her. After seven
months, he descended to the city of
Sankashya. This is depicted on the
top right.
6
MIRACLES AT SRAVASTI
The centre‒right scene shows Buddha
performing miracles at Sravasti,
including levitation and multiplying
his form, in the presence of those
who doubted his powers.
7
MONKEY OFFERING HONEY
In the city of Vaishali, Buddha was
given alms by a monkey. The jubilant
monkey then falls into a well, unable
to overcome his excitement. This
scene is depicted on the bottom
right.
8
PARINIRVANA
The final nirvana, or
parinirvana
, signifies the Buddha’s
end of cycle of rebirth. This scene is depicted above the
central figure, where the Buddha reclines in a peaceful
sleep, surrounded by his devotees in the city of Kushinagar.
7
BUDDHA
BIHAR, CIRCA 10
TH
CENTURY
Phyllite
14.75 in (37.5 cm) high
$ 12,500 ‒ 15,625
Rs 8,00,000 ‒ 10,00,000
NON‒EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY
PROVENANCE
Property from an Important Family Collection
This stele depicts eight major events in the life of Buddha,
beginning with the birth of Prince Siddhartha and ending
with the Buddha’s nirvana. Each event is represented by
a single scene.