Harappan
- Drainage system
- Rectangular intersecting roads
- Sanitary system
Mauryan
- Monolithic Pillars
- Finely carved capitols – Bull capitol and Sarnath capitol
- Stupas start during this period – 4 gateways
- Surface built with bricks
- Viharas and Chaityas
- Barabar Caves
Shunga – Satvahanas
- Early classic architecture
- Carved railings and gateways around Buddhist shrines
Kushan
- Sculpture developed
- The emperor himself was a divine authority
- Buddha was first time given a human form during this time
Gupta period
- Beginning of Hindu temples – temple at Deoghar, Udaigiri caves in Orissa
- Vaishnavite temple in Vidisha
Pallavas
- Mandaps, Rathas and finely carved panels and pillars
- Shore temple at Mahabs is a structural temple
- Ratha temple is a rock cut temple
- Kanchipuram also has temples
- Panels depict shiva as Natraja
- History of Pallavas
Cholas
- Tanjaur Temple: 65 m tall vimana
- Pillared halls and sculptures depicting Bharata’s natyashastra
- Fine paintings
Pandyas
- Built high outerwalls and gopuram
- Their gopurams can be seen from long distances
Hoysalas
- Belur and Halebeed temples
- Profusion of manifold pillars with rich and intricate carvings
- Panels depict gods and goddesses
Orissa Temples
- Lingraja temple
- 40 m high
- Sun Temple
Nagara, Dravida and Visara
Table 1
| Nagara | Dravida | Visara | |
| Temples called PRASADA | Combination of Dravida and Nagara (Chalukyas). | ||
| Shikhara is curvilinear | Shikhara pyramidal | ||
| No role of pillar | Pillar important | ||
| No tank | Tank may be there | ||
| No enclosure | Enclosure and gopuram | ||
| Vimana | |||
| Mahadeva Temple | Brihadeshwara | Eg Some in Khajuraho, Sirpur etc |
Cave architecture
Progressed in three phases
- Buddhist Jain Ajivika caves (3rd BC to 2nd AD)
- Kaneri, Nashik, Udaigiri
- Ajanta Ellora Cave (5th to 7th AD)
- Elephanta Ellora and Mahabs (7th to 10th)
Sculpture
Two major schools
- Gandhara
- Greco-Roman Style
- North West India
- Stone and stucco
- Madhura
- Indigenous style
- UP Bihar
- White spotted red sandstone used
- Forms of Brahmanical deities crystallised for the first time in this art form
Themes of Buddha and Bodhisatvas in Both
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