# Maya

_Queen; mother of the Buddha_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/maya
Last updated: 2026-10-12

> Maya, also known as Mahāmāyā and Māyādevī, was Queen of Shakya and the mother of Siddhartha Gautama, better known as the Buddha. She was the wife of Śuddhodana, the king of the Shakya kingdom. She died days after giving birth and the Buddha was raised by her sister, Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī, who became the first Buddhist nun ordained by the Buddha.

## Quick facts

- **Place of birth:** Devadaha ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q877831#P19))
- **Place of death:** Kapilavastu ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q877831#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Shakya ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q877831#P27))
- **Occupation:** consort ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q877831#P106))
- **Spouse:** Śuddhodana ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q877831#P26))

## Related

- [Śuddhodana](https://diginpl.com/people/suddhodana)
- [Devdaha](https://diginpl.com/places/devdaha)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Maya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_(mother_of_the_Buddha)) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): मायादेवी](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%80) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q877831](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q877831) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Maya Nepal Musee Guimet 23092007 1.jpg by Vassil (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maya_Nepal_Musee_Guimet_23092007_1.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Maya, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Maya Nepal Musee Guimet 23092007 1.jpg — Vassil, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Maya". DigiNepal. Last updated 12 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/maya. Retrieved 21 October 2026.