Portable Shrine with the Life of the Buddha

PAKISTAN

This panel of the portable shrine was made in Gandhara during the 5th and 6th centuries. The other half of the symmetrical shrine is lost. However, traces of the hinges are still visible.
The interior is carved with events from the Life of the Buddha. The upper register shows the Birth of Prince Siddhartha, with Queen Maya standing in the tribhanga position while holding on to a asoka tree. Sakra stands to her right holding a cloth, ready to receive the newborn baby. The child standing between Maya and Sakra is the newborn Prince Siddhartha. Beside Maya on her left, is her sister and a palace maid. The lower register shows the Buddha lying on his right side as he passes into parinirvana. The figures around him are in deep mourning. One of the twin asoka trees is depicted above the Buddha’s head.
The outside of the panel shows the side view of a bearded man whose hair is tied back with a band of pearls. The man is squatting and carries a basket, on top which sits a child whose head is missing.