Indian architectural traditions were introduced to Southeast Asia through Buddhism and Hinduism. They spread so quickly that by the century the architecture of the stupa, stepped sikhara and lotus-shaped tower had passed through Burma, Cambodia and Thailand to Indonesia. Most of it later fell into ruins, and was resurrected in the centuries and .

The greatest achievements of Southeast Asian architecture were undoubtedly Angkor Wat, Cambodia, and the Borobudur Stupa, Java ("Java (island)"), Indonesia, two very different temples representing Meru, the Buddhist cosmic mountain. While Ankor Wat has many rooms and chambers, Borobudur is entirely exterior and, like the pyramids of Mesoamerica, has the disturbing appearance of an artificial mountain.

Temple construction absorbed most of the architectural efforts in Burma, to the point where in the capital, Bagan alone, there are said to have been five thousand stupas and temples, all decorated with the finest works of local craftsmen. This fever for temples also spread to Thailand and Indonesia. Its construction, as well as its rise and fall, also tell us how Buddhism was gradually replaced by the rise of Hinduism.

As Buddhism spread across Southeast Asia, so did the influence of Chinese architecture. The result was the union of two very different traditions, which gave rise to very different conditions and the construction of styles as varied as the stupas of Burma, the temple cities of Cambodia and the palaces of Bangkok.

These are the main elements of this type of architecture: