Indian architecture has a long rich history, dating back thousands of years. It encompasses the building traditions of the Indian subcontinent-which includes what are now India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The earliest Indian buildings were made of wood and then brick. Few examples of such ancient structures, especially those of wood, have survived the severity of the Indian climate. By about the 6th century BC, stone architecture was being created on the subcontinent. Indian architects soon became highly skilled in the carving and construction of stone buildings. By the 7th century AD, the use of stone had become popular for important buildings of great size. Numerous stone temples from the medieval period still stand in India. Sculpture seems to have been the favored form of artistic expression, and Indian architecture and sculpture have had a close relationship. Rock- cut, or cave, architecture-temples or other buildings carved into cliffs-is often little more than sculpture on a colossal scale. Free-standing stone buildings are also profusely adorned with sculpture. The sculpture is often inseparable from the architecture. Most surviving examples of Indian architecture before about the AD 1200s are religious structures. Masterpieces of Traditional Indian Architecture takes the reader through the centuries and gives a rich insight into India's heritage and architecture. For years the preserve of scholars, this is a presentation of myriad forms, schools and styles of architecture in an informative yet reader-friendly manner focusing on aspects of Indian aesthetics, principles of engineering, history and the philosophic idea that impart to Indian architecture is grandeur and majesty.