For many it is difficult to describe Siddhārtha Gautama (the historical Buddha) without imagining the round and jovial human form that we are accustomed to in popular culture. For five hundred years, however, Buddhism existed entirely without a human representation of its leader; Instead, ancient Indian cultures produced various symbols to represent it in their artwork. The symbolic meaning of these images still remains a much debated topic among scholars, art historians and archaeologists. However, these emblems should not be considered exclusively Buddhist, as they carried multiple meanings representing both Buddhists and non-Buddhists. The earliest known Buddhist artwork can be traced back to the Maurya period of ancient India (322-185 BC), during the reign of King Ashoka the Great, whose reign lasted from 274 to 232 BC. Early in his reign , King Ashoka was known as a ferocious tyrant who devastated other areas of the Indian subcontinent. His most famous historical campaign was known as the Kalinga War, where he fought for a neighboring territory of India known as Kalinga. King Ashoka converted to Buddhism after the war, ashamed and disgusted by the bloodshed he had caused and witnessed. In fact, he fully adopted the religion of Buddhism as his national doctrine following this conquest, bringing peace to an entire nation during his time. Due to his ambitious nature, Ashoka erected over 84,000 monuments dedicated to the Buddhist faith. During King Ashoka's lifetime the famous stupa at Sanchi was erected, which contains essentially all the symbols associated with Gautama Siddhartha. A stupa is a mound-like structure that contains relics and remains of the Buddha and serves as the... center of the card, as the four wheels depicted probably do not represent the historic center. Buddha, but are more closely related to their Vedic origins. The construction of the pillar predates the use of exclusively Buddhist symbolism, however the four lions and wheels depicted can be related to its nature as an already auspicious sign. Works Cited Buchthal, Hugo. The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, Vol. 81, no. 476 (November 1942), pp. 278-279+281Burgess, Jas. The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, (January 1902), pp. 29-45Dhavalikar, Madhukar Keshav. Sanchi. New Delhi: Oxford UP, 2003. Print.Karlsson, Klemens. Face to Face with the Absent Buddha: The Formation of Buddhist Aniconic Art. Uppsala, Sweden: Uppsala University, 1999. Print.Krishan, Y. The Buddha Image: Its Origin and Development. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1996. Print.