Indian architecture is rooted in the history, culture, and religion of India. Among multiple architectural styles and traditions, the best-known include the many built in accordance to Indian religion and philosophy with Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, and Sikh styles of architecture being the most prevalent in India, with Indo-Islamic architecture, Rajput architecture, Mughal architecture, South Indian architecture, and Indo-Saracenic architecture having a strong presence as well.

Early Indian architecture was made from wood, which did not survive due to rotting and instability in the structures. Instead, the earliest surviving examples of Indian architecture are Indian rock-cut architecture, including many Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain temples.

Hindu temple architecture is traditionally divided into two main architectural styles: the Dravidian style of southern India and Nagara style of northern India, with several regional variations that combine elements of both. Other regional styles, such as the Vesara style of the Deccan plateau and the Kalinga style of eastern India, developed through local tastes. In addition to temple architecture, domestic housing styles in India also vary widely between regions, reflecting differences in climate, geography, building materials, and cultural traditions.

The first major Islamic empire in India was the Delhi Sultanate, which led to the development of Indo-Islamic architecture, combining Indian and Islamic architectural features. The rule of the Mughal Empire, when Mughal architecture evolved, is regarded as the zenith of Indo-Islamic architecture, with the Taj Mahal being the high point of their contribution. Indo-Islamic architecture got influenced by existing indigenous Hindu elements of style and later fused with Rajput and Sikh architecture as well.Petersen, Andrew (2002). Dictionary of Islamic Architecture. Routledge. pp. 115. quote,"The most significant of these is the Hindu religion which was a highly developed culture well before the Muslim conquest and continues to be the major religion of the country. The effect of this on architecture means that Indian buildings have distinct design and building characteristics which distinguish them from Islamic buildings elsewhere. The most significant influence on architecture was the Hindu temple. Initially Hindu temples were destroyed and the remains were used to build mosques, such as the Quwwat al-Islam Mosque in Delhi which was built out of the remains of twenty-seven temples; later, however, Hindu features were copied for use in mosques and have now become characteristic of Indo-Islamic architecture. Examples of Hindu features incorporated into Islamic buildings include domed chatris, projecting chajjas and bulbous dome finials. Later on the influence of India can be seen in the mosques of south-east Asia, many of which are Indian in form."

During the British colonial period, European styles including Neoclassical, Gothic Revival, and Baroque became prevalent across India. The amalgamation of Indo-Islamic and European styles led to a new style, known as the Indo-Saracenic style. Following the events succeeding India's independence from Britain, new European modernist ideas spread amongst Indian architects as a means of progressing as a new republic. Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier was commissioned by the Indian government to design the city of Chandigarh, which influenced a generation of architects towards modernism in the 20th century. The continued economic reforms further bolstered modern architecture and the urban layout of India, as the country became more integrated with the world's economy.

Neolithic period In South India, the Neolithic period began in 6500 BCE and lasted till around 1400 BCE when the Megalithic transition period began. The South Indian Neolithic period is characterized by ash mounds from 2500 BCE in the region of Karnataka, which later expanded into Tamil Nadu.

Neolithic settlements have been found in many parts of India. The earliest clear evidence of the megalithic urn burials, discovered at various places in Tamil Nadu, date back to 1000 BCE. The most notable megalithic urn was discovered in Adichanallur, from Tirunelveli, where archaeologists from the Archaeological Survey of India unearthed 12 urns containing human skulls, skeletons and bones, husks, grains of charred rice and Neolithic celts, confirming the presence of the Neolithic period 2800 years ago.

The unearthed local and foreign antiquities (of art, architecture, customs, and rituals) depicted by the engravings on pottery and other artifacts, indicate that the prehistoric people of the Burzahom established contact with Central Asia and South West Asia, and had links to the Gangetic plains and peninsular India.

Megalithic burial sites have been found scattered all over the subcontinent. The Neolithic period lasted up until 3300 BCE, overlapping with the following Early Harappan (Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age) period. One of the earliest Neolithic sites in India is Lahuradewa in the Middle Ganga region and Jhusi near the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, both dating to around the 7th millennium BCE.

Indus Valley Civilisation (2600 BCE – 1900 BCE)

The Indus Valley Civilisation covered a large area around and beyond the Indus River basin in the late Bronze Age of India. In its mature phase, from about 2600 to 1900 BCE, the civilisation developed several cities marked by great uniformity within and between sites, including Harappa, Lothal, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mohenjo-daro.

The civic and town planning and the engineering of these cities are deemed remarkable, but the building designs are "of a startling utilitarian character". There are granaries, drains, water-courses and tanks, but neither palaces nor temples have been identified, though cities have a central raised and fortified "citadel".Rowland, 31–34, 32 quoted; Harle, 15–18 Mohenjo-daro has wells which may be the predecessors of the stepwell. As many as 700 wells have been discovered in just one section of the city, leading scholars to believe that 'cylindrical brick lined wells' were invented by the Indus Valley Civilisation.Livingstone & Beach, 19

Architectural decoration is extremely minimal, though there are "narrow pointed niches" inside some buildings. Most of the art found is in miniature forms like seals, and mainly in terracotta, but there are very few larger sculptures of figures. In most sites, fired mud-brick (not sun-baked as in Mesopotamia) is used exclusively as the building material, but a few sites, such as Dholavira, are in stone. Most houses have two storeys, and uniform sizes and plans. The large cities declined relatively quickly, for unknown reasons, so a less sophisticated village culture was left behind.Rowland, 31–34, 33 quoted; Harle, 15–18

After the collapse of the Mature Harappan Period, some cities still remained urban and inhabited. Sites like Bet Dwarka in Gujarat, Kudwala (38.1 ha) in Cholistan, and Daimabad (20 Ha) in Maharashtra are considered urban. Daimabad (2000–1000 BC), developed a fortification wall with bastions in its Jorwe culture period (1400–1000 BC), and had public buildings, such as an elliptical temple and an apsidal temple. It also shows evidence of planning in the layout of rectangular houses, and streets or lanes, and planned streets. The area had risen to 50 hectares in with a population of 10,000 people. A long protection wall dated 1500 BCE was found at Bet Dwarka which was believed to be damaged and submerged following a sea storm.U. Singh (2008), pp. 181, 223

600 BCE – 250 CE

Indian architecture after the Indus Valley Civilisation and around the Maurya Empire (321 to 185 BCE), most likely used wood or recycled brick. Much of the remains discovered from this period onwards are of Indian rock-cut architecture, predominantly Buddhist.

Important features of the period's architecture include, walled and moated cities with large gates and multi-storied buildings, wooden chaitya arches for roofs, and further structures above solid storeys. The reliefs of Sanchi, dated to the 1st centuries BCE-CE, denote places such as Kushinagar or Rajagriha as splendid walled cities, as in the Royal cortege leaving Rajagriha or War over the Buddha's relics. These views of ancient Indian cities are relied on for the understanding of ancient Indian urban architecture.Rowland, 60

In the case of the Mauryan capital Pataliputra (near modern-day Patna), we have Greek accounts, and that of Faxian. Megasthenes mentions 564 towers and 64 gates in the city walls. Modern excavations have uncovered a "massive palisade of teak beams held together with iron dowels".Rowland, 60–63 60 quoted A huge apadana-like hall with eighty sandstone columns shows clear influence from contemporary Achaemenid Persia.Rowland, 63–65 The single massive sandstone Pataliputra capital shows clear Hellenistic features, reaching India via Persia.Rowland, 72; Harle 22–24 The famous Ashoka columns show great sophistication, and a variety of influences in their details. In both these cases a now-vanished Indian predecessor tradition in wood is likely.Rowland, 65–72; Harle 24

Gupta architecture

The Gupta period chiefly represented a hiatus in Indian rock-cut architecture; the first wave of construction was completed before the empire was assembled, and the second wave began in the late 5th century, after its end. For example, an early group of the Ajanta Caves was crafted by 220 CE and a later group was made around 460 CE.Ajanta chronology is still under discussion, but this is the view of Spink, accepted by many. Nonetheless, most of the first surviving free-standing structures in India are accredited to the Gupta period, in particular, the beginnings of Hindu temple architecture. As Milo Beach writes, "Under the Guptas, India was quick to join the rest of the medieval world in a passion for housing precious objects in stylized architectural frameworks",Beach, Milo, Steps to Water: The Ancient Stepwells of India, (Photographs by Morna Livingston), p. 25, 2002, Princeton Architectural Press, , 9781568983240, google books the "precious objects" primarily suggesting the icons of gods.

The caves at Ajanta, including Elephanta and Ellora (respectively Buddhist, Hindu, mixed, and Jain) were produced under other dynasties in Central India. Ellora was made after the Gupta period, yet they primarily reflect the monumentality and balance of Guptan style. The Ajanta Caves contain the most significant and mature survivals of painting and the periods, mainly in palace paintings. The Hindu Udayagiri Caves record connections with the dynasty and its ministers, and the Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh, one of the earliest to survive, showcases important sculpture.Harle, 113–114; see also site entries in Michell (1990)

North Indian Hindu temples that have survived after the 5th century Udayagiri Caves in Madhya Pradesh include those at Tigawa (early 5th century),Michell (1990), 192 Sanchi Temple 17 (similar, but respectively Hindu and Buddhist), Deogarh, Parvati Temple, Nachna (465),Michael Meister (1987), Hindu Temple, in The Encyclopedia of Religion, editor: Mircea Eliade, Volume 14, Macmillan, , page 370 Bhitargaon, the largest Gupta brick temple to survive,Michell (1990), 157; Michell (1988), 96 and Lakshman Brick Temple, Sirpur (600–625). Gop Temple in Gujarat (c. 550 or later) is an oddity, with no surviving close comparator.Harle, 111–113, 136–138; Michell (1988), 90, 96–98; see also site entries in Michell (1990)