What does Buddhist tradition say about Queen Maha Maya’s dream before the Buddha’s birth?

According to Buddhist legend, Queen Maha Maya dreamt that a white elephant with six tusks entered her right side. This vision was interpreted as a sign that she had conceived a child destined to become either a world ruler or a buddha.1

Following this conception, she carried the child for 10 lunar months before giving birth to Gautama Buddha in the Lumbini grove. The imagery of the white elephant is a significant element in the traditional narratives surrounding the Buddha's birth and is frequently depicted in Buddhist art.12