Interpretation of the Dream

This is the left-hand side of a very damaged relief. The scene takes place inside: a kudu arch can be seen supported by Indo-Corinthian pilasters with indentations. The scroll of the arch supports a balcony where three figures are seated. At the centre of the scene, under the arch, King Suddhodana is seated in the Lalitāsana pose of royal relaxation on a seat with turned wooden legs. He wears a heavy collar, his clothing no longer discernible. Turning slightly to the left, he gives audience to an old ascetic with a beard and a bun. This relief represents the episode in which the wise Brahmin Asita interprets the dream of Queen Māyā. He reveals that the dream announces the upcoming birth of a future Buddha or a future Cakravartin depending on the path the child chooses. The queen was probably under the missing part of the bow.

The schist reliefs discovered by Barthoux between 1926 and 1928 are mostly from the vicinity of the Great Stūpa K1 of Tapa-i Kafarihā, the south-western part of the main stūpa B12 of Bāgh Gaï (around B13) and the Great Stūpa TK140 of Tapa Kalān.