Indo-Aryan art was first introduced in Himachal by Ashoka, who constructed two stupas, one in the Kulu valley and the other probably in the Paonta valley. According to Cunning-ham, it was the latter which was taken by Ferozshah Tughlak to Delhi, and is now seen in Ferozshah Kotla, near Delhi Gate.
Later, Kushan Buddhist art traditions influenced the hill areas, specially Kangra, where remains of some ancient Buddhist shrines (Chetra) have been found. A Buddhist statue in brass was found at Fatehpur (Nurpur tehsil) before Partition and this is presently in the Lahore Museum (Paki-stan). A 'iota' located in an ancient Buddhist cell in Kulu is now in the Indian Museum.
The Greco-Gandhar-Indian influence, however, disappeared as the Kushans faded from the Indian scene. The new force that emerged on the Indian art horizon after a lapse of some years was the Gupta Empire, which period marks Hindu renaissance and Buddhist decay. Gupta art was the product of Brahmnical vision and aesthetic ideas of the upper classes (the nagarik) of the great cities. This art was, therefore, called Nagara` which term is applied to north Indian architecture, including that of Himachal. The ideals of Gupta art were inspired by samantas (feudal lords), nagar seths (city bankers), courtesans, musicians, poets and schol-ars and were shaped into temples, buildings and statues by a new generation of artists who either rejected previous art forms or changed them beyond recognition to suit the new resurgence. It was thus a conscious, disciplined and comprehensive art with fine strains of new folk cults of the middle classes.
However, this art form came to Himachal at a considerably later time, even after Harsha had long passed from the Indian stage, which then was occupied by a multitude of Rajput princely states, alternately rising and falling, grouping and regrouping. The offshoots of these Rajput states also appeared on the scene in Himachal as prince after prince reached here either to seek refuge from, the invading Muslims or to found new states. They brought with them the Gupta or Nagara art forms. The beautiful Nagara or Shikhara temples found in Himachal have thus the Gupta art tradition behind them. Built between the eighth and the thirteenth centuries these temples are of two types: the single cellar type and those having an ante-chamber (Mandapa).
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