India is a treasure house of sculptural art. The architecture and sculpture of India has flourished through many centuries and it has transformed to its most glorious phases during the medieval period. This era includes the magnificent sculptures of the Chalukya, the Vijayanagar, the Orissa, the Hoysala, the Mughal and the Indo-Muslim era of Deccan art. The monuments of Pattadakal, the Indo-Aryan temples at Bhubaneshwar, Puri and Konark, the Sun Temple of Modhera in Gujarat and the Chandela temples of Khajuraho are the ageless edifices which present an endless variety of exquisite stone carvings. Most of the statues in the state of Orissa show extreme delicacy of medieval Indian sculpture. The impact of foreign style in art and sculpture of medieval India was immense. The invasion of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals brought in the Indo –Islamic- Persian style of sculpture. The glamorous delight of the Taj Mahal and other magnificent Mughal enclosures has captured the beauty of marble craft of India.

Amongst all the monuments in India, the most enchanting are the Hindu temples which were built during the medieval period. Regardless of their size the temples can be identified by their unique characteristic feature i.e. the typical pyramidal spire. Especially the south-Indian countryside is filled with pyramidal temples. The temples of Kanchipuram, Madurai, Srirangam, Rameswaram and many others from small villages represent many examples of medieval temples. The counterparts of these temples in north are the ancient city of Varanasi. The temples built in the comparatively remote places, which were not accessible to the invaders survived most like Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, and Bhubaneshwar, Konark in Orissa. There is a symbolic meaning in the sculptures of these temples. The Kailasanatha temple is one of the Kanchipuram temples was built by the Pallava ruler Rajasimha and is renowned for its fine structure. The entire temple is constructed in sand stones. Other important temples are Ekambareshwarar temple, Kamakshi Amman temple and Devarajaswami temple. The sculpture of the Srirangam temple is amazing in its own way. The sculpture of the men with Tamil hair style, wearing a dhoti and ornaments and the sculpture of the dancing maiden represent the aptitude of the artisans.

The emergence of the Chalukya rulers in Badami is a phenomenal event in the history of sculpture of medieval India. The excavations of the rock cut temples and the construction of structural temples were done by them. They used red sand stone in their sculptures. The Chalukya style was an amalgamation of the Indo- Aryan Nagara style and the Dravidian style. The finest structural temples are to be seen in Pattadakal. It has a set of nine temples of which the Virupaksha temple is the most beautiful one. The carvings of the temple depict scenes from the Purana. Other temples of Pattadakal include those of Chandrasekhara, Jambulinga and Sangameswara. Sculpture of Jain temple from the period of the Rashtrakutas is also found in Pattadakal. The sculptural magnificence of the temples of Bhubaneshwar and Konark are famous in the history of art in medieval India. The Konark temple is well known for its sophistication and plethora of sculptural work. The construction of the temple is in the shape of a chariot and is drawn by twenty four wheels and seven horses. The entire structure of the temple is adorned with elaborate carvings from its base up to the walls and ceilings. In Bhubaneshwar the Lingaraja temple, the Rajarani temple and the Mukteshwar temple is noted for its structural excellence. The Sun Temple at Modhera built in the eleventh century has a sanctum, a pradakshina patha and a sabha mandapa in front. There are many images of the sun god at the exterior of the sanctum. The mandapa which lies in the front of the sanctum is decorated with carved pillars with beautiful toranas adorning the entrance. The exterior of the temple is also intricately engraved. The Hindu and the Jain temples of Khajuraho built by the Chandela rulers are noted for their exquisite sculpture.

Buddhist sculpture in the medieval period flourished under the patronage of the Pala and the Sena empires in the regions of Bengal and Bihar. The University of Nalanda is surrounded by a brick wall, which encloses the entire convent from without. The towers are richly decorated and the stages have dragon-projections and coloured eaves. The roofs covered with tiles that reflect the light in a thousand shades. The style of the figure sculpture in stucco at Nalanda is a dry repetition of the Gupta statuary of Sarnath, as may be seen by comparing the statue in the topmost niche with the famous preaching Lord Buddha. The ruins at Paharpur in Bengal also exhibit Buddhist sculpture of the medieval period. The decoration of the shrine consists of multiple terra-cotta relief plaques attached to the brick facades. Characteristic of the sculpture of the Pala and Sena Periods are the numerous examples of images carved in hard, black stone found at Nalanda and many other sites in Bengal. All of them are characterised by a great finesse and precision of execution. Many of these icons give the impression of being stone imitations of metal-work, and in almost every case the sense of plastic conception is lost under the intricacy of surface detail.

Sculpture of medieval India was marked with a remarkable change with the invasion of the Delhi Sultanates in the northern India. The characteristics of the Delhi sultanate sculptures are still one of the finest examples of the Muslim Indian sculptures. From the thirteenth to the sixteenth century a number of dynasties flourished under the Delhi sultanates. The artistic styles of the Delhi sultanates were much similar to the indigenous art of medieval India which made it easier for the foreigners to adapt themselves. For example both temples and mosques had open courtyards. The structural features like the domes, the pointed arch and the beams were pioneered by the Delhi sultanates. The Qutub minar, the Jami masjid and the Alai Darwaza are the most prominent monuments which are well known for their structural elegance. The sultanates of Delhi were absorbed by the Mughals when they invaded India in the mid sixteenth century. It was under the Mughals that the most remarkable phase of Muslim architecture was initiated. There is little difference between the sculptures of the Mughals with that of the Delhi Sultanates only that the Mughal monuments were more lavish. The Mughals introduced the ceramic tile work and also pioneered in the use of coloured and semi precious stones. Foliage sculptures in between the arches are exclusive of the Mughal architecture. The exquisite craftsmanship of the Mughals is perceived in the architectural wonders like the Taj Mahal, the Fatehpur Sikri and the red fort. Marble was liberally used and is one of the outstanding features of Mughal sculpture. The inlaid stone work was also an art to reckon with. Shallow relief depictions of flowers to intricate pierced-marble screens were elements of the carved Mughal stone sculptures.

Thus the medieval period of India had witnessed a wide variety of sculptures, some of which were indigenous and some were the contribution of foreign invasion.