2021-05-26 Wed

Greetings of Buddha Purnima to all! Here’s the story of Buddha’s Birth!

On the auspicious full moon day of the second month of the Hindu calendar, Queen Maya was traveling to her father’s place to give birth. On the way to Koliya country, Maya passed the garden of Lumbini which was adorned by the glow of spring. Mesmerized by its beauty, Maya decided to take a halt.

As she rested beneath one of the Shala trees, she overcame the pain in her womb. Soon after, a boy was born. The legend says that the baby began to walk seven steps forward and at each step, a lotus flower appeared on the ground. Then, at the seventh stride, he stopped and uttered “I am the world-honored one.”

Being born in the region what we today call Nepal, Buddha’s life has been depicted on quite a few coins of the country. In the year 1997, Nepal issued silver and a gold coin with denomination Asarfi and 1500 Rupees respectively which portray the birth story of Buddha.

The coin depicts the women holding a branch of a tree (Buddha’s Mother holding Shal tree) or Shaalbhanjika in the center. The left coin depicts baby Buddha walking seven with seven blossomed lotuses on his trail and the right pane depicts Buddha in meditation.

Image Courtesy: Colnect.com