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Queen Maya was
the mother of the historical Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, to whom she gave birth
c. 563 BCE.
Queen Maya and King Suddhodhana did not have children for twenty years into
their marriage. One day however, Queen Maya dreamt of a white elephant entering
her side, and became pregnant. According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha-to-be
was residing as a Bodhisattva in the Tusita heaven, and decided to take the
shape of a white elephant to be reborn, for the last time, on Earth.
The pregnancy lasted ten lunar months. Following custom, the Queen returned to
her own home for the birth. On the way, she stepped down from her palanquin to
have a walk in the beautiful flower garden of Lumbini Park. She was delighted by
the park, and reaching for a branch to take a rest, the Prince emerged fom her
right side and was born. It was the eighth day of April.
The child was named Sidhartha, meaning "Every wish fulfilled". Queen
Maya passed away seven days after the birth of the Buddha-to-be, and went to the
Tusita Heaven. Her sister Prajapati became the child's foster mother.
Maya was the wife of King Suddhodana, the ruler of the Shakya clan of Kshatriya
warriors. She was the daughter of King Suddhodhana's uncle, who was also a king
of a neighboring subdivision of the same Shakya clan. |
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