Abstract <p>Seismic hazard assessment is essential for the seismic design or performance assessment of structures situated in highly seismically active regions, such as India. To determine the seismic demand under earthquake loading, a time-history analysis of the structure is performed. However, in the Indian context, the practical implementation of time history analysis is limited. This is mainly due to two challenges: one is due to the lack of site-specific seismic hazard data, and the other is the scarcity of compatible ground motion records. To address these challenges, a systematic procedure is proposed for the selection and scaling of ground motions, followed by the generation of spectrum-compatible time histories for a given site. A total of 269 Indian cities with a population exceeding one million, as per the 2011 census, are selected. Probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) is conducted using the logic tree framework to account for epistemic uncertainties. A suite of 11 horizontal ground motion pairs consistent with the governing earthquake rupture scenarios from the hazard deaggregation is selected for each city from the globally recognized databases. The ground motion pairs are then modified to be spectrum-compatible while matching the site-specific uniform hazard spectrum (UHS) as the target at a 2475-year return period. Additionally, nonlinear site response analysis is demonstrated using DEEPSOIL V7.0 for a representative soil profile in Chandigarh. The analysis reveals significant amplification of long-period ground motion components due to the presence of soft soils, underscoring the importance of incorporating site effects in seismic design. This work represents the first large-scale effort to generate a comprehensive database of spectrum-compatible horizontal ground motion records for major Indian urban centers based on a rigorous PSHA framework. By providing a publicly accessible, ready-to-use dataset, this work directly addresses the long-standing challenge of the unavailability of time histories compatible with site-specific seismic hazard in the Indian context. The methodology and results address a critical gap between seismic hazard characterization and practical engineering application in India, enabling more accurate and realistic seismic design practices in seismically active regions across the country.</p> Research highlights <p><UnorderedList Mark="Bullet"> <ItemContent> <p>Presents the first nationwide database of spectrum-compatible ground motions for 269 major Indian cities based on a rigorous PSHA framework</p> </ItemContent> <ItemContent> <p>Site-specific Uniform Hazard Spectrum (UHS) at 2475-year return period are derived using a logic tree to incorporate epistemic uncertainty</p> </ItemContent> <ItemContent> <p>Ground motions are selected based on the site-specific seismic hazard deaggregation and matched to site-specific UHS</p> </ItemContent> <ItemContent> <p>Demonstrates significant long-period amplification through nonlinear site response analysis using DEEPSOIL for representative soil profile</p> </ItemContent> <ItemContent> <p>Bridges a major gap between seismic hazard assessment and engineering practice by providing publicly accessible, ready-touse time histories across India for seismic design</p> </ItemContent> </UnorderedList></p>