The correct option is Footprints.
Explanation
In the early history of Buddhist art, spanning the Mauryan and early Post-Mauryan periods (roughly until the 1st century CE), the Buddha was not depicted in human form. This period is referred to as the aniconic phase. Instead of anthropomorphic figures, artists utilized specific symbols to represent the Buddha's presence and significant events in his life.Option Analysis:
- Footprints is Correct: Footprints (Buddhapada) were widely used to symbolize the physical presence of the Buddha or his act of walking the path of Dhamma. Along with footprints, other major aniconic symbols included:
- The Bodhi Tree: Symbolizing Enlightenment (Nirvana).
- The Dharmachakra (Wheel): Symbolizing the First Sermon at Sarnath.
- The Stupa: Symbolizing Mahaparinirvana (Death).
- The Empty Throne: Symbolizing his royal descent or meditation.
- The Lotus: Symbolizing his birth.
- Anthropomorphic images is Incorrect: Anthropomorphic images (depicting Buddha in human form) emerged later during the Iconic phase. This transition is most notably associated with the rise of the Gandhara and Mathura schools of art during the Kushana period (Post-Mauryan era).
- Yaksha figures is Incorrect: Yaksha figures appear frequently in early Buddhist art (e.g., on the toranas of Sanchi and Bharhut) as semi-divine guardians or fertility spirits assimilated from folk traditions. However, they represent subordinate deities, not the Buddha himself.
- Bodhisattva crowns is Incorrect: Bodhisattva crowns and ornaments are characteristic of later iconography, particularly in Mahayana Buddhism, where Bodhisattvas are depicted as princely figures. They are not symbols used to represent the Buddha in the aniconic phase.
Key Takeaway:
The aniconic phase of Buddhist art relied on symbols such as the Lotus, Wheel, Bodhi Tree, Stupa, Empty Throne, and Footprints to narrate the life of the Buddha without using his human likeness.