Hindu temple sculpture evolved with the rise of the Magadha Empire in India. Till then it was nature worship and Buddhism which dominated the sub-continent. The rise of Magadha dynasty led to an absolute change in the religious architecture and sculpture. Hinduism came into existence and with that a number of Hindu places of worship were constructed. The Hindu temple sculpture was for the very first time was conveyed on the stone structures. Alongside the temple sculptures the Indian terracotta sculpture also came into vogue. Some of the most exquisite sculptures were created during the Mauryan and Sunga eras.
As far as the Hindu temple architecture is concerned the fundamental elements within the temple comprised the
garbhagrihas, parikramapatha, assembly halls, porches, shikharas and antechambers. With time two kinds of Hindu temple architectures in India evolved: Nagara style (North India) and Dravidian style (South India). The only difference between these styles is the construction of the shikharas. While the Nagara style has bee-hive shaped towers the Dravidian idiom promotes a collection of smaller storeyes of pavilions. After the Mauryas it was the Gupta dynasty who proved to be great patrons of art and architecture in India. Hence arrays of sculptures were produced during their reign.
The creative brilliance of South India also came to the forefront with the construction of the temples. The
sculpture of Brihadisvara Temple, Hampi and the
sculpture of Mukteshvara temple are some of the finest specimens of Hindu temple sculpture. It would be unjust to concentrate only on the North and South Indian temples. In fact throughout numerous Hindu places of worship were carved out. But primarily these temples were modeled upon the two key schools of Hindu temple architecture and sculptures.
The main motifs that formed the part of the Hindu temple sculptures included episodes from Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas. Popular beliefs, legends, court scenes, animal and plant motifs, kirtimukhas, gods and goddesses and eroticism are widely found engraved on the walls of the Hindu temples. The Hindu temple sculpture can be broadly divided according to regions:
