Discuss the chief trends in medieval sculpture which distinguish it from the classical sculpture.

Towards the end of the seventh and beginning of the eight century A.D. the regional spirit gradually asserts itself. The classical tradition of an all-India art lingers for one or two centuries, but the regional spirit gets the better of the Indian.
Plasticity of the fully-rounded and modelled form had been the most significant
characteristic of classical Indian structure. A movement now starts towards summarising the rounded volume in the direction of flat-surface and linear angles. Swelling and smooth round lines develop sharp edges; compositions tend to become linearised with emphasis on sharp angles, horizontals, verticals, and diagonals and curves that have ‘so long been convex turn into the concave. This new conception of form had far-reaching results in sculpture.
The pivot of early medieval structure is the human figure, both male and female in the form of gods and goddesses and their attendants.

Topics: GS-I: Indian Architecture