Home›Sacred Objects, Dress & Symbols›Sacred Art & Iconography›Birth of the Buddha Shakyamuni (Gandhara, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987.417.1)Sacred Art & IconographyBirth of the Buddha Shakyamuni (Gandhara, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987.417.1)Stone relief, Gandhara, Kushan period, circa 2nd century, Metropolitan Museum of Art 1987.417.1Citation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "Birth of the Buddha Shakyamuni (Gandhara, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987.417.1)." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sacred-art-iconography/birth-of-buddha-shakyamuni-met-1987-417-1.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). Birth of the Buddha Shakyamuni (Gandhara, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987.417.1). Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sacred-art-iconography/birth-of-buddha-shakyamuni-met-1987-417-1Copy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-birth-of-the-buddha-shakyamuni-gandhara, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {Birth of the Buddha Shakyamuni (Gandhara, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987.417.1)}, year = {2026}, url = {https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sacred-art-iconography/birth-of-buddha-shakyamuni-met-1987-417-1}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXScriptural and Theological TraditionVerifiedA stone relief from ancient Gandhara, present-day Pakistan, Kushan period, circa 2nd century, showing the birth of Siddhartha Gautama. Maya is shown standing and grasping the branch of a tree, the traditional Gandharan composition for this scene, with the newborn emerging from her side at Lumbini. Held today by the Metropolitan Museum of Art under accession 1987.417.1, gift of Steven Kossak, The Kronos Collections, 1987.FactsCross-Tradition ConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)FactsSubject MatterDevotional FunctionWell-attestedReliefs of the Buddha's birth in this Gandharan style were typically carved as one scene in a longer narrative sequence set into a stupa's drum or stairway, meant to be viewed in order by pilgrims walking the circumambulation path around the monument, so that this single panel originally functioned as one station in a continuous visual telling of the Buddha's life rather than as a standalone devotional image. 1Cross-Tradition ConnectionsAssociated WithLumbini, Sacred Sites Well-attested This source names Lumbini directly: "the newborn emerging from her side at Lumbini."Source Birth of the Buddha Shakyamuni, accession 1987.417.1 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)tier 1Pakistan, Countries Well-attested This source names Pakistan directly: "from ancient Gandhara, present-day Pakistan, Kushan period, circa 2nd century, showing the birth of Siddhartha Gautama."Source Birth of the Buddha Shakyamuni, accession 1987.417.1 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)tier 1Siddhartha Gautama, Figures Well-attested This source names Siddhartha Gautama directly: "2nd century, showing the birth of Siddhartha Gautama."Source Birth of the Buddha Shakyamuni, accession 1987.417.1 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)tier 1Belongs to TraditionBuddhism, Religions Well-attested Source Birth of the Buddha Shakyamuni, accession 1987.417.1 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)tier 1DepictsMaya, Figures Well-attested The relief's directly named subject per the museum's own title, following the standard Gandharan composition for Maya's birth-giving at Lumbini, matching the corroborating Wikipedia record's account of that same scene.Source Birth of the Buddha Shakyamuni, accession 1987.417.1 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)tier 1Additional Source Maya, Mother of the Buddha (Wikipedia)tier 3Sources1. Birth of the Buddha Shakyamuni, accession 1987.417.1 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)tier 1Metropolitan Museum of ArtView the SourceMaya, Mother of the Buddha (Wikipedia)tier 3WikipediaDepicts: MayaQuote, Depicts: MayaMaya Devi was delighted by the park and gave birth standing while holding onto a sal branch. Legend has it that Prince Siddhartha emerged from her right side.View the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year