The history of India is a story of unbroken traditions that have continued for over 5000 years. For centuries, Indian handicrafts have been distinguished for their aesthetic and functional value. 

Indian art has been influenced by many factors, mainly religious, political and social. India is a land of immense diversity. Various traditions, rituals, geographic and climatic conditions, lifestyles and cultures have given birth to numerous styles and designs. It has gradually evolved with the evolution of the civilization.
Techniques have been experimented and perfected upon through centuries. Indian art features spiral and curvaceous lines, vines and tendrils, round figured women, circular amulets, coloured gemstones, arches and domes, haloed deities, crescent moons and the sun. Nature has been very inspiring in this case and Indian art has borrowed freely from it. These crafts remain coveted and the skills are handed over from generation to generation.

India is a land abundant in raw materials, which has been creatively utilised by the Indian craftsmen. From expensive materials like ivory, gems and marble to cheaper ones like clay, cane bamboo and wood, Indian handicrafts have an amazingly captivating beauty. Another thrilling factor is the numerous processes that these materials go through before they take final shape. Processes like the 'chikan' work and 'phulkari and bagh' work on cloth, certain types of polishing and metal casting or even the filigree work on metals is unique to Indian art.

Four broad divisions
The artistic tradition of India, one of the oldest and richest in the world, can be broadly divided into four categories - Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Jainism.
During the middle of the 2nd century BC, Aryan nomads devastated the ancient Indus Valley architecture. These invaders produced distinctive art, although Vedic texts refer to palaces decorated with paintings and wood carvings. The traditional art during this age was predominantly Buddhist, both technically and aesthetically.
Wood and brick - the main materials Wood and brick made up the earliest of the Buddhist and Hindu temples, one of the oldest of Indian buildings. Other temples were carved out of solid rock and are called cave temples.
Fourth century BC saw the utilisation of stone as the main building material. With the passage of time, Indian cultures acquired great skill in the carving and construction of some buildings.
During this period, the period of the Mauryas [4th to 2nd century BC], large stupas, or dome shaped Buddhist shrines and rectilinear temples and monasteries were built along with cave temples.

Buddha symbolised by wheel, lotus or throne
In this early art the Buddha was merely symbolised by a wheel, a lotus flower, or by his throne. It was only until the Kushan period (AD 50-250) that the historic Buddha was represented in human form, inspired by the classical art of the ancient Greece. The art of Kushan India, often referred to as Greco-Buddhist art, is characterised at two great centres: in the Gandhara province of North-Western India, where the Western influence was more marked, and at Mathura in central India, where a more truly Indian artistic style evolved.
Although Buddhist art continued to exist in Bengal under the Pala dynasty [c.750-1100] and in Afghanistan, the dominant art of the medieval period of Indian history was Hindu in character. Hindu art represented the highpoints of Indian and world art. Roughly, the period could be describes between the 7th century and the 17th century, when it was still prevalent in the south. The rock carvings in the Shiva temple at Elephanta in the Bay of Mumbai and the Great Kailasa temple at Ellora are embodiment of Hinduism and are among the greatest masterpieces created by Indian artists. Another outstanding example of Hindu monuments from the early medieval period can be found at Mahabalipuram. Not far from Madras, magnificent relief carvings and beautiful temples were created during the 7th and 8th centuries under the patronage of the Pallava dynasty [c.325-750].

The Golden Era
The beginning of the golden era of Indian architecture was characterised during the Gupta Period (4th-6th centuries AD) - a temple with a square base and a pyramidal tower that has either a straight or curving outline and is heavily decorated with architectural and figure ornaments.
This typical design became larger and more complex in plan, layout and building type during the 7th-11th centuries AD. Thus a rich variety of regional building styles developed at this time, all concentrating on the temple complex.
This artistic development reached its pinnacle around AD 1000 when huge temple complexes with towering sikkharas elaborate sculptural decorations were erected all over India. Be it at Khajuraho, in North Central India, Bhubaneshwar in Orrisa, Konarak in Orrisa, or in the South, Hindu art continued to flourish. The finest southern monuments were, however, from the earlier periods such as the great temple head Tanjore built under the Chola dynasty (970-1229), major temple complexes notably that at Madurai in the extreme South during the 17th century. The 17th century Madurai architecture paved the way for a typical style - the huge gateways, or gopurams, covered with innumerable carvings representing the gods and the goddesses and the multitude of the sacred beings of the Hindu pantheon. 

The Islamic influence
The invasion of the Islamic rulers into India brought also the typical Muslim architectural fundamentals. The dome, the pointed arch and the Islamic decoration into the mosque, tombs and other structures made way for another era in Indian architectural history in the 11th and 12th centuries. Though some scholars view this era as a relative decline in quality from the earlier era, but it was during this era that the architectural marvels like the Taj Mahal was built during the Muslim Mughal dynasty in the 16th to the 18th century.
A very distinct artistic tradition, largely based on Persian and Turkish prototypes, came into existence during the 12th century, when much of northern India was conquered by Muslim invaders. Because Islam forbade the making of images - sculpture which had been the dominant art - declined and architecture became the most important form of artistic expression.

Indo-Islamic art
The first of the great edifices devoted to this faith was the Quwwat ul-Islam erected on the site of a Hindu temple in Delhi. Its most impressive remaining structure is the Qutb Minar, a tall minaret from which the hour of prayer was proclaimed. Other outstanding Islamic buildings are the tombs of the great Muslim rulers, such as Ghiyas ud-din Tughlak Shah in Delhi.
The Mughal dynasty gave rise to the Indo-Islamic art. It was under their patronage that such architectural masterpieces as the Taj Mahal in Agra and the great Friday mosque in Delhi were erected. The most exquisite architectural remain of this age is Fatehpur Sikri, a city erected by emperor Akbar. Other expressions that flourished under the Mughals were miniature, paintings, making of carpets, textiles, and metalwork as well as wood, ivory and jade carving.