One of the most enduring achievements of Indian civilization is undoubtedly its architecture. Indian architecture, which has evolved through centuries, is the result of socio-economic and geographical conditions. Different types of Indian architectural styles include a mass of expressions over space and time, transformed by the forces of history considered unique to India. As a result of vast diversities, a vast range of architectural specimens have evolved, retaining a certain amount of continuity across history.

Indian architecture, belonging to different periods of history, bears the stamp of respective periods. Though the cities of Indus Valley provide substantial evidence of extensive town planning, the beginnings of Indian architecture can be traced back to the advent of Buddhism in India. It was in this period that a large number of magnificent buildings came up. Some of the highlights of Buddhist art and architecture are the Great Stupa at Sanchi and the rock-cut caves at Ajanta.

With the establishment of Hindu kingdoms in South India, the south Indian school of architecture began to flourish. The most notable achievements of the Pallava rulers were the rock-cut temples of Mahabalipuram and the temples of Kanchipuram. The Chola, Hoyasala and Vijayanagar rulers also did remarkable job in the field of architecture. The temples at Thanjavur, Belur and Halebid bear testimony to the architectural excellence of the South Indian rulers.

In north India, there developed a new a different style of architecture. This was called as the Nagara style architecture. In central India, the Chandela rulers built a magnificent temple complex at Khajuraho. With the coming of the Muslim rulers, there developed a new architectural style in India- the Indo-Islamic architecture. The Indo-Islamic style was neither strictly Islamic nor strictly Hindu. The architecture of the medieval period can be divided into two main categories. They are the Delhi or the Imperial Style and the Mughal Architecture.

It was followed by a new style of architecture that developed as a result of colonization of India. This style of architecture came to be called as Indo-Saracenic. The Indo-Saracenic architecture combined the features of Hindu, Islamic and western elements. The colonial architecture exhibited itself through institutional, civic and utilitarian buildings such as post offices, railway stations, rest houses and government buildings.

One definition of a great civilization is the magnificence of its architectural legacy, and India is surely among the foremost. Architecture of India - is an attempt to present the Indian architecture for what it is: an intelligent, innovative response to local conditions.

Introduction
The Indus Valley Civilization
The Vedic Age
Communion with the Soul: The rise of Buddhism
The Evolution of the Temple
Poetry in Stone: Crystallization of the Hindu Temple
Rock Cut Architecture
Elephanta Caves : Photo Essay
The North Indian Style Evolves
Theories and Principles of Indian Temple Construction
The Glorious Culmination
Tamil Magnificence - Developments in South India
The Temple Cities of the South
The Hoysalas of Karnataka
Death of an Empire: The Ruins of Hampi
The Islamic Influence
The Towers of God
Consolidation and Continuation:
The Beginnings of an Indo-Islamic Culture
The Megalomania of Ala-ud-Din Khilji
The Tughlaq Years
Firoz Shah and After
The End of the Delhi Sultanate
Integration and Absorption :
Regional Variations of Islamic Architecture
The Pleasure Palaces of Mandu
Brick and Bamboo at Bengal
The Deccan : Gulbarga and Bidar
The Deccan : Golconda and Bijapur
Rajput Architecture : The Beginning of a National Identity
A Quirk of Fate - Babur, Humayun and Sher Shah
The Mughal Empire : Fortresses and Citadels - 1
Fatehpur Sikri : The City of Victory
Splendor and Decadence in Delhi
The Mughal Empire : Mosques and Tombs - I
The Mughal Empire : Mosques and Tombs - 2
The Mughal Empire : The Taj Mahal
Mughal Decline and Princely Architecture
"For Christians and Spices" - the Portuguese
and the Estada da India
Trade to Empire - From the East India Company to Angrez Raj
British Colonial Architecture - An Imperial Vision
A Search for an Imperial Style : British Colonial Architecture
The Seats of Power - Shimla and New Delhi
New Delhi - A New Capital
The Architecture of the Princely States
British Colonial Architecture: Towns, Cantonments and Bungalows
Nascent Nationalism and Indian Architecture
Partition and After : New Challenges for a New Nation
The City of Chandigarh I
The City of Chandigarh II
The Beginnings of an Architectural Culture - Delhi: Post Independence Challenges
Towards Re-Writing A History of Indian Architecture
Post Colonial India and its Architecture - I
Post Colonial India and its Architecture - II
Post Colonial India and its Architecture - III
The Auroville Experiment

See Also :
Language and Architecture of Ancient India
Qutab Minar and Iron Pillar