Agra, Mughal capital

Timeline

1. 1526–1558Agra · Uttar PradeshAfter the First Battle of Panipat in 1526, Babur founded the Mughal Empire and made Agra his capital. In the empire's early years Agra was the political and military hub. Babur built Persian-style charbagh gardens in the city, setting the tone for Mughal architectural aesthetics; Agra Fort also took shape during this period. After Humayun briefly moved the capital to Delhi, Agra again became Akbar the Great's main residence.
2. 1556–1605Agra and Fatehpur Sikri · Uttar PradeshDuring Akbar's reign (1556–1605) he rebuilt Agra Fort in red sandstone as a grand royal palace city (1565–1573) and built the new capital of Fatehpur Sikri nearby (1569–1585, later abandoned for lack of water). Agra's population exceeded 500,000, and European travelers recorded the city as more prosperous than London, the absolute core of the empire's administration, military, and culture.
3. 1628–1658Taj Mahal, Agra · Uttar PradeshAfter acceding in 1628, Shah Jahan ordered the Taj Mahal built in 1631 for his late wife Mumtaz Mahal; it took about 22 years and was essentially completed in 1653, employing some twenty thousand craftsmen, and is the pinnacle of Mughal architectural art. In 1648 the capital moved to Shahjahanabad in Delhi, and Agra thereby became an important secondary center of the empire, but the Taj Mahal kept it endowed with powerful symbolic and religious significance.
4. 1658–1680Agra Fort · Uttar PradeshIn 1658 Aurangzeb won the war of succession and imprisoned his father Shah Jahan in Agra Fort until Shah Jahan's death in 1666. Thereafter Agra served as a key military node in the empire's North Indian heartland, controlling the grain resources and transport routes of the Yamuna basin. In the 1670s Aurangzeb frequently campaigned against the Rajputs and Marathas, and Agra was an important relay station for troop deployment, supply, and intelligence. The empire's revenue collection system (zamindari/jagirdari system) still used Agra as an important administrative pivot for North India in this period.
5. 1983Agra · Uttar PradeshThe Taj Mahal was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983, followed by Agra Fort (1983) and Fatehpur Sikri (1986). With three World Heritage sites, Agra is one of India's most important tourist destinations; the Taj Mahal draws over six million visitors a year and is the most enduring carrier of Mughal civilization's global influence.