UPSC Prelims 2026 GS Paper I · Q12 of 98 History medium

What does an empty seat represent in early Buddhist iconography ?

  1. (a) The meditation of the Buddha ✓ UPSC's answer
  2. (b) The Buddha's First Sermon
  3. (c) The Buddha's Mahaparinibbana
  4. (d) The Buddha's Mahabhinishkramana

Why the answer is (a)

• Early Buddhist art (Bharhut, Sanchi, early Amaravati) was aniconic: the Buddha was never shown in human form but indicated by symbols.

• Each symbol stands for an event: the empty seat or throne beneath the Bodhi tree represents the Buddha in meditation and his Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya.

• The Dharmachakra (wheel), often with deer, represents the First Sermon at Sarnath.

• The stupa represents the Mahaparinibbana (death) at Kushinagar, and a riderless horse with an umbrella represents the Mahabhinishkramana (Great Departure).

• So the empty seat denotes the Buddha's meditation, option (a).

Why the other options are wrong

(b) The Buddha's First Sermon
The First Sermon is represented by the Dharmachakra, not an empty seat.
(c) The Buddha's Mahaparinibbana
The Mahaparinibbana is represented by the stupa.
(d) The Buddha's Mahabhinishkramana
The Great Departure is represented by a riderless horse.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2026, held on 24 May 2026. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

Reading the answer is not the same as getting it right under a clock. Practise this question with UPSC's negative marking, and anything you miss goes into an error notebook until you get it right twice.

Practise this paper free