Mauryan polish describes one of the frequent characteristics of architecture and sculptures of the Maurya Empire in India (325 to 185 BCE), which gives a very smooth and shiny surface to the stone material, generally of sandstone or granite.

The technique did not end with the empire, but continued to be "used on occasion up to the first or second century A.D.",[2] although the presence of the polish sometimes complicates dating, as with the Didarganj Yakshi.

According to the archaeologist John Marshall: the "extraordinary precision and accuracy which characterizes all Mauryan works, and which has never, we venture to say, been surpassed even by the finest workmanship on Athenian buildings".

[9] All known Mauryan pillars have the characteristic mirror-like polish, although most were left unpolished over the surface of the bottom part meant to be buried in the ground.

[11] These non-polished pillars are also those that display the highest level of Hellenistic influence: in the case of the Rampurva bull or the Sankassa elephant, the abacus is composed of honeysuckles alternated with stylized palmettes and small rosettes.

One of them, the Masarh lion, discovered near Patna, is special in that its style is nearly completely Achaemenid, which suggests a high level of artistic influence from Western Asia at the time the statuette was made.

The Masarh lion, discovered near Pataliputra and dated to the 3rd century BCE, is carved in sandstone of the Chunar type, like the Ashoka Pillars, and its finish is polished.

[22] The Didarganj Yakshi, although claimed by some as an example of Mauryan art[23] is generally dated to the 2nd century CE, based on the analysis of shape and ornamentation.

[24][25][18] This life-size standing image is tall, well-proportioned, free-standing sculpture is made of sandstone with well polished surface.

[26] This statue, if the 2 century CE date is upheld, would suggest that polishing technique in fact did not disappear with the Mauryas, but remained in India, and was simply little used, possibly because of the high labor and cost involved.

There is, however, no trace of evolution from these neolithical tools to polished stone architecture, and the Barabar caves are essentially a sudden technological break with no local history, suggesting the import of these techniques from another culture.

[31] According to Gupta, the Son Bhandar Caves could be such an intermediate stage, relatively unique, and subject to questioning its chronology, since it is generally dated to the 2nd-4th centuries CE.

[32][33] Some examples of Indus Valley civilisation statuary (Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, circa 3000-2000 BCE) do show a certain level of polishing.