An important change occurred with the emergence of Mauryan sculpture: the wooden sculptures were replaced by stone and brick ones. However the use of wood did not disappear completely. As far as architecture is concerned wood was still the most popular material. Most of the Mauryan sculptures are related to Buddhism. This was largely due to Emperor Ashoka. After converting to Buddhism, Emperor Ashoka had built several Buddhist buildings and sculptures.

The Mauryan sculptures mainly comprise of the religious ones. The finest specimen of Mauryan sculpture was the pillars built by Ashoka. These monolithic pillars were carved out of single rocks. The well sculpted pillars bear Buddhist inscriptions. The pillars have supporting stones and had capitals on the top of them. The rocks are well polished and proportionately etched out. The pillars at Sarnath are the finest example of this kind of architecture.

One of the major features of Mauryan sculpture is the terracotta images. Hindu female deities made out of clay have been excavated from Mauryan sties. The forms of the mother goddesses are quite stylish. Apart from these there are other architectural evidences from the Mauryan period. This includes the stupas. The sculpture of Sanchi Stupa and the sculpture of Dhameka Stupa at Sarnath are worth checking out for the sheer architectural brilliance.