Lawkahteikpan Temple: Life of the Buddha - Birth of Prince Siddhartha

MYANMAR, Mandalay, Bagan; Bagan Empire

This image on the south wall of Lawkahteikpan Temple depicts the “Chapter on the Birth of Prince Siddhartha” from the Abhiniskramana Sutra. According to the sutra, Queen Maya, the Buddha’s mother, returned home to Devadaha during the last stage of her pregnancy. When passing through Lumbini Garden, she gave birth to Prince Siddhartha beneath an asoka tree. Soon after the prince was born, he took seven steps and proclaimed, “In heaven above and earth below, I am the most honored one. I shall dispel the suffering that fills the world.”
Queen Maya stands in tribhanga posture in the center, wearing a tall crown and a long skirt. A nimbus is painted behind her head, and her body is adorned with ornaments. The queen’s left arm rests on her younger sister’s shoulder, and her right hand grasps a branch of the asoka tree. She gazes down lovingly at Prince Siddhartha, who has emerged from her right side. The prince has a usnisa and sits in lotus position. With joined palms, he looks up at his mother. Beside Queen Maya on the left, heavenly beings and brahmins kneel to welcome the newborn prince. Four more heavenly beings look down from the top corners of the painting.