A small Hindu temple consists of an inner sanctum, the garbha griha or womb-chamber, in which the image is housed, often circumambulation, a congregation hall, and possibly an antechamber and porch. The sanctum is crowned by a tower-like shikara. At the turn of the first millennium CE two major types of temples existed, the northern or Nagara style and the southern or Dravida type of temple. They are distinguishable by the shape and decoration of their shikharas (Dehejia 1997).

- Nagara style: The tower is beehive shaped.
- Dravida: The tower consists of progressively smaller storeys of pavilions.

The earliest Nagar temples are in Karnataka (e.g. Galaganath at Pattadakal) and some very early Dravida-style temples (e.g. Teli-ka-Mandir at Gwalior) are actually in North India. A complex style termed Vesara was once common in Karnataka which combined the two styles

This may be seen in the classic Hindu temples of India and Southeast Asia, such as Angkor Wat, Brihadisvara Temple, Khajuraho, Mukteshvara, and Prambanan.

The temple is a representation of the macrocosm (the universe) as well as the microcosm (the inner space).

he Magadha empire rose with the Shishunaga dynasty in around 650 BC. The Ashtadhyayi of Panini, the great grammarian of the 5th century BC speaks of images that were used in Hindu temple worship. The ordinary images were called pratikriti and the images for worship were called archa (see As. 5.3.96-100). Patanjali, the 2nd century BC author of the Mahabhashya commentary on the Ashtadhyayi, tells us more about the images. Deity images for sale were called Shivaka etc., but an archa of Shiva was just called Shiva. Patanjali mentions Shiva and Skanda deities. There is also mention of the worship of Vasudeva (Krishna). We are also told that some images could be moved and some were immoveable. Panini also says that an archa was not to be sold and that there were people (priests) who obtained their livelihood by taking care of it.

Panini and Patanjali mention temples which were called prasadas. The earlier Shatapatha Brahmana of the period of the Vedas, informs us of an image in the shape of Purusha which was placed within the altar. The Vedic books describe the plan of the temple to be square. This plan is divided into 64 or 81 smaller square, where each of these represent a specific divinity.

Vastu Shastra (vāstu śāstra, also Vastu Veda, "science of construction", "architecture") is a traditional Hindu system of design based on directional alignments. It is primarily applied in Hindu architecture, especially for Hindu temples, although it covers other applications, including poetry, dance, sculpture, etc. The foundation of Vastu is traditionally ascribed to the mythical sage Mamuni Mayan.

While Vastu had long been essentially restricted to temple architecture, there has been a revival in India in recent decades.

Vaastu is the science of direction that combines all the five elements of nature and balances them with man and materials. It is all about the interaction of various forms of best effect on a living person. It aims to create a subtle conducive atmosphere in a structure in which we can bring the best in ourselves, thereby paving the way for enhanced health, wealth, prosperity and happiness in an enlightened environment. Like any other science, vaastu is universal, rational, practical and utilitarian. It is not a religion but a science.

The principle laid down in Vastu Shastra were formulated keeping in view, the cosmic influence of the Sun, its light and heat, solar energy, directions of wind, the moon position, the earth's magnetic field and the influence of cosmos on our planet. The system is an admixture of science of directions, astronomy and astrology.