Murals and miniatures are two different forms of arts, which intrinsically related to Indian painting tradition. Infact murals are considered to be the earliest evidence of Indian paintings, which are unearthed as the symbol of ancient civilization. Murals are paintings made on walls of caves and palaces while Miniatures are small-sized colorful, intricate handmade illumination.

The earliest evidence of murals is the beautiful frescoes painted on the caves of Ajanta and Ellora, also on the Bagh caves and Sittanvasal. In the old scripts and literature, there were many evidences of mural paintings. According to Vinaya Pitaka, the noted courtesan of Vaishali, Amrapali employed painters to paint the kings, traders and merchants of that time on the walls of her palace. There are also numerous references in antediluvian texts to `Chitragaras` or galleries maintained by the kings and rulers.

The color materials on the mural paintings in ancient India were derived from the natural materials like terracota, chalk, red ochre and yellow ochre mixed with animal fat. The subjects included the figures of human beings and animals, hunting, family scenes, court life, deities and stories from Budhhist `Jataka`. The ancient painters did the murals with expert hands and observant eyes. This is evident from the cave paintings of Ajanta, which were made during second century BC and continued till the 5th-6th century AD by the decorative motifs, crowded compositions, figure types and details of costumes. The other significant mural paintings of this period are found at Bagh in Madhya Pradesh, caves of Badami in Karnataka, Sittannavasal in Tamil Nadu and the Kailashanatha temple in Ellora, Maharashtra of 8th century AD and known for their linear styles.

In Eastern India there are many evidences of wall and panel paintings describing Budhhist and non-Budhhist themes. In Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura sublime mural works have been found which needs further study. Ladakh is known for its wall paintings in Alchi and Hemis monasteries, made on 11th-12th century and the Spiti Vally in Himachal Pradesh is known for its Buddhist paintings in the Gomphas of Tabo Monastery.

North India has a rich heritage of Mural paintings even before the Mogul period. The murals at the Vishnu Temple located at Madanpur in Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh of 12th century AD reveals the skillful hands of the painters.

Though the Mogul era is known mostly for the miniatures, the enthralling murals embellished on the walls of forts and palaces of Akbar and Jahangir quietly speaks of the influence of Persian styles. The Mogul painting traditions influenced the Rajput School of painting. The wall paintings in Deeg, Bundi, Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur and other places in Rajasthan are quite convincing.

South India also got rich tradition of mural paintings. In the reign of Cholas, Vijayanagaras and Nayakas this art reached the climax. The Deccan art of Bijapur, Hyderabad, and Golconda schools were influenced by the Mughul traditions and later by European idiom. Maratha murals are also shaped under the Mogul traditions and employed oil as medium. The Mural art of Kerala vividly depicted on the walls of temples and monuments show the traces of European affinity.

Miniatures are small form of paintings made on papers or clothes, which are intricate, colorful handmade illuminations, marked by delicate brushwork. The miniature paintings that emerged in the medieval period captured the fancy of the royalty and aristocracy. The colors used in the miniature paintings were derived from minerals, vegetables, precious stones, indigo, conch shells, pure gold and silver. Some of the noted miniature schools were those of Moguls, Rajputs and Deccan. Many of the miniature paintings describe the court lives and are based on `Ragas` or musical codes of Indian classical music.