Throughout the history of civilization India has commanded a central position in the world trade routes, which acted as arteries for the exchange of ideas and information between East and West. Indian lotus pattern motifs, for example, can be seen in the famous Persian palaces of Persepolis (5th to 6th centuries se) and evidence of Greek styles of architecture and decoration is to be found in the Buddhist caves at Gandhara, North Western India (3rd century AD).

Some of the earliest architectural remains in India date hack to the Indus Valley civilization, from about 3000 BC. Their two capital cities ? Mohenjo-daro and Harappa ? were carefully planned on an orthogonal grid with large communal buildings and grain stores built out of baked brick. Later, when the Indus Valley civilization was destroyed, apparently by the Aryan invaders from the north around 1500 BC, a new religious culture ? Hinduism ? came into being and with it a change in the architectural style. The myriad of gods and goddesses mentioned in the Rig Vedas (ancient Sanskrit hymns) embellish Hindu temples all over India.

Hinduism embraces an infinite number of religions, the most significant being the Jain and Buddhist faiths which emerged in the 5th century BC. Monolithic stone constructions with delicate paintings and sculpture are characteristic of Buddhist architecture. The domed stupas of the Buddhist monuments are easily recognizable and some of the earliest examples of this form are to be found in Sanchi in central India, dating from the 3rd century AD. The processional route through intricately carved gateways and finally circling the stupa is a theme which continued and spread with the faith to South East Asia, China and Japan.

Jain and other Hindu temples are generally more intricate in design than the Buddhist ones. The geometry and proportion of the architecture is very sophisticated, with several levels of meaning. For example, perambulatory routes through a central axis punctuated with gateways eventually lead to a small, dark inner sanctum (the garbagriha or womb chamber), which is located under a monolithic tower (shikara), representing the cosmic sacred mountain of the Hindu faith. The sculptures and patterns that cover these temples do not obscure the complex three-dimensional geometry of the basic temple design but enhance the composition rather like chords in music.

In the history of architecture, Hindu, Jain and Buddhist traditions were the main forces shaping the architecture of the subcontinent until the spread of Islam. Regional styles developed and reflected the stability and strength of the rulers, while trade continued to be an important stimulus. The different sects and religions always coexisted despite sporadic religious purges, and the dominating religion of the ruling classes did not preclude the existence of other religions. The diversity of religions and subcultures which coexisted resulted in an architectural style which drew on an immensely varied palette for its inspiration.