Early Buddhist sculptors did not show Buddha in human form. Through which of the following symbols was Buddha’s presence shown by the early sculptors?

🌿 Key Points
→ In the Buddhist art of the pre-Christian era, the Buddha was presented through symbols like an empty throne, the bodhi tree, a pair of footprints, and a wheel.
→ In the first century B.C., India's artists, who had worked in perishable media of brick, wood, thatch, and bamboo, adopted stone on a very wide scale.
→ Stone railings and gateways, covered with relief sculptures, were added to stupas.
→ Favorite themes were events from the historic life of the Buddha, as well as from his previous lives, which were believed to be 550 in number. These tales are called jatakas and often include popular legends adapted to Buddhist teachings.

📝 Additional Information
→ Life of Buddha:

Buddha is also called Sakyamuni or Tathagata.
He is considered the founder of Buddhism.
He was born as Siddhartha to Suddhodhana, the ruler of the Sakyan republic, and his wife Maya, on Vaisakha Purnima in the Lumbini gardens near Kapilvastu in the 6th century BC.
Siddhartha married Yashodhara and had a son Rahula.
His luxurious life left him dissatisfied and he was troubled by the signs of sickness, old age, and death that he observed in his worldly life.
At the age of 29, he decided to leave the palace in search of peace and understanding of the world’s ills.
At the age of 35, again on Vaisakha Purnima, he attained enlightenment at what is now famously known as Bodh Gaya.
He gave his first sermon in a deer park at Sarnath before his first disciples.
Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana at Kusinara.