Lord Buddha did not want his followers to worship his image, and so, for a long time, no figures of Buddha were drawn or carved.
The earliest representation of Buddha was made through the stupas or mounds erected on the relics of Buddha. These mounds had external decorations on them, tracing various events in the life of Buddha. Symbols like a foot, sacred tree, holy seat or altar were also widely used to represent Buddha. The first Buddha statues were carved in stone in Mathura, near Delhi. The noteworthy characteristics of the Buddha statues were that the figures were always standing free or seated in the regular cross-legged religious posture.
Picture Credit : Google