A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c10.s2.47

c10.s2.47

the finest example known to me of that favourite subject (Plate XXIX). According to the legend, Gautama Buddha was born in a pure fashion by springing from his mother's side as she stood under a tree in the Lumbinī Garden, the modern Rummindēī, to the east of Kapilavastu. The composition is arranged in a perfectly symmetrical manner. On the left of the picture the god Indra, or Sakra, with his characteristic high head-dress, receives the child, behind him stands Brahmā, and two other unnamed gods complete the divine party. The woman who supports the mother is her sister, and three attendants balance the gods on the other side. The [Figure: Plate XXIX. The Nativity of Buddha, from Yūsufzai (L. Dames, Berlin). (Photo. 27845, V. and A. Museum.)]