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About two thousand six hundred years ago in North India, at the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains, there were a number of little kingdoms, each ruled over by its own Raja or king. One of these kingdoms was the land of the Sakes. They were a warrior clan and the name of the King who ruled over them at the time was Suddhodana. The King lived in the capital city, called Kapilavastu, on the Nepal frontier. One night, Queen Maha Maya had a very strange dream. She saw a huge white elephant come into the room, carrying a lotus flower. The elephant trumpeted as it walked round her bed three times. In the morning, the King summoned the wise men of the land to the palace, to find out the meaning of this dream. " Oh, King! A great and noble son will be born to your Queen," they said. The King and Queen were very happy. When the baby was due, according to the custom at the time, the Queen asked her husband if she could visit her parents in the neighbouring kingdom. The King readily granted her wish and ordered that everything possible should be done to make the Journey pleasant.
She was carried in a royal palanquin and was accompanied by many attendants all beautifully dressed and sparkling with jewels. On the way, they had to pass a forest and some lovely gardens called Lumbini. When the Queen arrived at this delightful place, within sight of the snow-capped Himalayas, she thought that she would like to rest for a while in the cool shade. So it happened that, seated under a Sal tree in the peaceful Lumbini Grove, she had a baby boy. It was the full moon day in the month of Vesak (May). All the trees were in flower and a gentle breeze sang to the music of the birds and animals of this lovely forest garden. The bees hummed cheerfully as they flew from blossom to blossom, gathering honey. It was as if all nature was happy over the birth of this Prince. The whole party returned to Kapilavastu, where the new Prince was greeted with great rejoicing. The baby was very beautiful. His skin was the colour of cold and his eyes were a lovely deep, violet blue. His hair was black and his whole body and limbs were perfectly formed. Next Page 2
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