page_title: Maya (mother of the Buddha)
section_title: Iconography
hierarchical_section_title: Maya (mother of the Buddha) / Iconography
context_page_description: Queen Māyā of Sakya was the birth mother of Gautama Buddha, the sage on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. She was sister of Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī, the first Buddhist nun ordained by the Buddha.
  In Buddhist tradition Maya died soon after the birth of Buddha, generally said to be seven days afterwards, and came to life again in a Hindu-Buddhist heaven, a pattern that is said to be followed in the births of all Buddhas. Thus Maya did not raise her son who was instead raised by his maternal aunt Mahapajapati Gotami. Maya would, however, on occasion descend from Heaven to give advice to her son.
  Māyā means "illusion" in Sanskrit. Māyā is also called Mahāmāyā and Māyādevī. In Tibetan she is called Gyutrulma and in Japanese is known as Maya-bunin. Also, in Sinhalese she is known as මහාමායා දේවී.
context_section_description: In Buddhist literature and art Queen Maya is portrayed as a beautiful fecund woman in the prime of life.
  Her beauty sparkles like a nugget of pure gold. 
  
  She has perfumed curls like the large black bee.
  
  Eyes like lotus petals, teeth like stars in the heavens.
  — From the Lalitavistara Sūtra
  Although sometimes shown in other scenes from her life, such as having a dream foretelling her pregnancy with Gautama Buddha or with her husband King Śuddhodana seeking prophecies about their son's life, shortly after his birth, she is most often depicted whilst giving birth to Gautama, an event that is generally accepted to have taken place in Lumbini in modern-day Terai. Maya is usually shown giving birth standing under a tree and reaching overhead to hold on to a branch for support. Buddhist scholar Miranda Shaw, states that Queen Maya's depiction in the nativity scene follows a pattern established in earlier Buddhist depictions of the tree spirits known as yaksini.
caption: The birth of Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha, Gandhara, 2nd–3rd century CE.
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