Maya's Dream

According to Buddhist texts, before the birth of the Buddha,
his mother, Maya Devi had a dream in which she saw a
white elephant entering her womb. In sculptures, this
theme is presented by a lady asleep on a couch with an
elephant hovering over her. This panel, found from Mardan,
Peshawar, depicts the bed chamber of Queen Maya Devi
flanked by vaulted corridors, and supported on Persepolitan
pillars without shafts. The queen is asleep on a furnished
couch, her head raised on a high pillow. A female attendant,
holding a spear, stands guard behind the pillar to the right,
while another keeps guard to the left. Two more attendants
stand guard, behind the couch one holding spear and other
beneath the vaulted roof. From a circular slab the
Bodhisattva descending in the form of an elephant is seen.
The disposition of the figures, the comely faces of the
women and the simplified refinement of the details give a
quiet dignity and charm to this relief, making it one of the
masterpieces of Gandharan art.