Correct Option
The correct option is Tree and Serpent worship.
Explanation
This question pertains to the historiography of Indian art and the early colonial interpretation of Buddhist monuments. James Fergusson was a 19th-century architectural historian who played a pioneering role in documenting Indian archaeological sites.
Analysis
James Fergusson, in his extensive studies of Indian architecture during the 19th century, analyzed the sculptural reliefs found at Sanchi and Amravati.
- Observation: He observed a prevalence of motifs depicting people worshipping trees and serpents (Nagas).
- Interpretation: At the time of his research, the concept of aniconic Buddhism-where the Buddha was represented by symbols such as the Bodhi tree, footprints, or an empty throne rather than in human form-was not fully understood by European scholars.
- Conclusion: Lacking the textual context to interpret these symbols as representations of the Buddha, Fergusson concluded that the site was a centre of a cult focused on nature worship. He published his findings in a significant work titled Tree and Serpent Worship in 1868.
- Correction: Later art historians established that the "tree worship" was actually the veneration of the Buddha (symbolized by the Bodhi tree) and the serpents represented Buddhist deities like the Nagas paying homage to the Buddha.
Key Takeaway: James Fergusson misidentified the aniconic Buddhist symbolism at Sanchi, classifying it as a centre of "Tree and Serpent worship" in his 1868 publication.