The Birth of Siddhartha and the Seven Steps

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The Birth of Siddhartha and the Seven Steps

Place of Originlikely Swat/Peshawar region, Gandhara, Pakistan

Date2nd - 3rd centuries

Dimensions17 1/8 × 20 1/8 × 6 in. (43.5 × 51.1 × 15.2 cm)

MediumGrey schist relief carving.

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, by exchange

Object number

2008.20

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Sculpture

Published ReferencesIngholt, Harald., Gandharan Art in Pakistan, New York, Pantheon, 1957, cat. Number 14, p. 52.Comparative ReferencesThis work has been published in H. Ingholt. See also Gandharan Art in Pakistan, 1957, cat. Number 14, p.52.Label TextMore than 500 years after the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, stories of his childhood and miraculous deeds were particularly popular in the art of the Gandhara region (part of modern Pakistan and Afghanistan). This relief-carved stone panel depicts two scenes in one: Siddhartha’s birth and the infant’s first seven steps in each of the cardinal directions to establish his spiritual mastery of the universe. In the first scene, Siddhartha’s mother, Maya, grasps the branch of a bodhi tree with one hand and puts her other arm around her sister while Siddhartha miraculously emerges from her side. The Hindu god Indra stands ready to catch the child. Female figures flank the scene, holding offerings, while musical instruments “float” above, suggesting celebration. A tiny Siddhartha is shown again immediately below the birth scene, symbolically taking his first steps.