Agra, situated on the west bank of the Yamuna River, 200 kms south east of Delhi, was the capital of the Mughal Empire in the 16th and 17th century.
Agra was first mentioned in the epic Mahabharata as Agrevan (translates as "The Border of the Forest").
In 1501 Sikander Lodhi of the Delhi Sultanate made it his capital. In... 1526 Babur defeated the Lodhi’s and Agra came underthe Mughal rule. Babur introduced Mughal gardens to Agra.
Agra flourished during Akbar’s rule and became a centre for art, culture and learning. He laid the foundation for a city here and named it Akbarabad. Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri were built during Akbar’s reign. When Shah Jahan, who had a passion for architecture, came into power he built the Taj Mahal, most of the palce buildings inside the Agra Fort and the Jama Masjid.
Shah Jahan's son, Aurangazeb, moved moved his capital from Agra to Delhi and that began the slow decline of Agra as well as the Mughal Empire. The Jats then came into power beginning the years of destruction to the city and its monuments, followed by the Maratas and then the British.
