Indian architecture is as old as the history of the civilization. The earliest remains of recognizable building  activity in the Indian subcontinent dates back to the third millennium in the Indus Valley cities. These cities are among man's earliest attempts to organise urban environment. The Great baths of Mohenjodaro are some of the good examples of building .

Among India's ancient monuments , the most characteristic are the Hindu Temples. Regardless of their size  they are easily recognised by the typical pyramidal spire. Countryside in South India is filled with pyramidal spire  of the temples. The temples of Kanchipuram, Madurai, Srirangam, Rameswaram and other centres of pilgrimage in the South are busy places of worship.  There counterparts in  the North are only  the ancient city of Varanasi. Hindu temples were destroyed in the North by the Muslim invaders. 

Temples built in the areas which were not easily accessible survived like like Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, and Bhubaneswar and Konark in Orissa, where they could escape the destruction done by the invaders. 

Normally the temples were built near a source of water, as water is an essential commodity for the worshippers for ablutions. The symbolic meaning runs through the architecture of the temple itself with its three parts, namely, the base, the walls and the spire, corresponding to Earth, the intervening space and Heaven.

They are mound-shaped , they enshrine the relics either of the Buddha or of a great figure of the Buddhist church. From  beginning they were  an elaborate structure with beautiful sculpture  adorning the encircling balustrades and the gateways. The finest example of the sculpture is the Stupa at Sanchi, dating from the 3rd century before Christ. The Stupas have episodes from the life of the Buddha are shown together with the various deities of the folk religion, which the Buddhist religion had absorbed.

Rock-cut architecture took  turn with the Buddhist reign and  remarkable Buddhist monuments were produced in areas such as Bihar in the east and Maharashtra in the west. Natural grottos and caves in the hillside were excavated by the Buddhist monks and turned into glorious prayer halls and monasteries. Though these were rock cut architecture the style closely resembled that of the earlier brick and wood buildings. Monks carved windows and balconies and gates in the shape of huge arch shaped openings. Under these monks the rock cut architecture reached heights which has no parallel in the world. One of the superb examples is the temple at Mammallapuram.

Lion Capital in the Sarnath Museum which is the state seal of India is an example of Mauryan stone sculpture. Mauryan stone sculpture has a style of monumentally majestic power, which has the finish of an exquisitely finished polish that has not lost its shine even today. 

As the Buddhism took whole country under its influence, its impact was seen on the architectural sculptures such as the great Stupas of Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda. Here, the sculptor's has practised the art on marble in bas-relief which possesses great animation and nervous energy. The scenes depict the social life of the times and often relate the elevating tales of life of the Buddha.

In 3rd century BC cave architecture flourished and in the western coast where the quality of the rock made them suitable for excavation. The caves were basically used by the Buddhist monks as temples to worship  Buddha and also to live in. The great cave at Karla is one the examples of cave architecture. This cave is big in size and the interior is lighted up by the great window giving a feel of benevolence and peace. The human couples which are sculpted are full of grace, elegance and free rhythm. 

In the later period cave architecture was developed by the Hindus. Whose outstanding examples are the great cave temples at Badami, Elephanta and Ellora. The other examples are at the Elephanta Caves near Bombay. The Mahesmurti of Elephanta Caves represent Shiva in his three aspects of Creator, Preserver and Destroyer, is no doubt one of the finest single piece Indian sculptures. The great Buddhist, Hindu and Jain rock temples of Ellora are all splendid examples though the most outstanding work is the Kailasa Temple of 8th century. This was made out of a rock which has the appearance of a small man-made mountain, duplicating the heavenly mountain-abode of Lord Shiva.

In the Gupta period from 320-495 AD temple sculpture reached perfection therefore this period is known as the Golden Age of Indian Art.  Though temple architecture had yet to be developed.  The figures carved during this period were full of grace, vitality and spiritual feelings.  Hindu iconography reached its form in this period which it possesses even to this day can be seen in the Dasavatara temple at Deogarh. 

The temple architecture developed after Gupta period.  The pyramidal spire which became a characteristic of North Indian temple was developed in this period. There was a wave of temple architecture throughout the country in the 10th and 11th centuries . The examples of which are the great temples of  Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh (10th - 11th centuries) and Bhubaneswar in Orissa (8th-11th centuries). The marble Jain temples at Dilwara (11th- 13th centuries) represent a late phase of this style.

The temples were lavishly decorated with sculptures not an individual piece but as elaborate decoration all over the walls, interlinked  with each other. Deities can be seen in various poses which were erotic. Like couples in different amorous poses and attitudes. Mythical animals, in various combinations of elephant, lion and bird, are popular motifs. Also, there are long friezes depicting scenes of hunt and court as well as processions of soldiers. This eroticism  in medieval Indian sculpture has no one explanation though it is essential to say that the bliss of ultimate spiritual union in Hindu is thought as comparable to physical union.

Perfection of temple architecture took place from the 7th century. From this century the whole country was taken under the fever constructing temples especially in South India. Though the largest  masterpiece of Indian temple in North India is probably the Konark temple. And the largest temple surviving in the South India is the Brihadeesvara Temple at Thanjavur, constructed by the Chola king , Rajaraja I, towards the end of the 10th century.

Muslim architecture which can be traced to the first Turkish invasions and gradually acquires a distinct national character that distinguishes it from the architecture of Islam. Many fine early monuments are to be found in Delhi, the most famous being the Jama Masjid, built by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, near the famous Qutub Minar in early 13th Century.  The most splendid phase of Muslim architecture in India, however , was the one initiated by the Mughals under Emperor Akbar. The Agra Fort and the deserted capital city of Fatehpur Sikri and Sikandra near Agra are all fine examples of Muslim architecture. And of course the Taj Mahal one of the seven wonders of the world is beyond any comparison.