Agra

City in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, on the River Jumna (or Yamuna), 160 km/100 mi southeast of Delhi; population (2001 est) 1,321,400. It is a centre for commerce, tourism and industry. There are many small-scale engineering plants and grain mills, and cotton textiles, carpets, leather goods, gold and silver embroidery, and engraved marble are produced. The capital of the Mogul empire from 1566–69 and 1601–58, it is the site of the Taj Mahal, built during the latter period. Other notable buildings include the Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque), the Jama Masjid (Great Mosque), and the Red Fort, with red sandstone walls over 20 m/65 ft high and 2.5 km/1.5 mi long. The tomb of the emperor Akbar lies to the northwest at Sikandra. The city is home to Agra University (1927) and six affiliated colleges.

In ancient times Agra was a fortified city. It was one of many Rajput strongholds sacked in the early 11th century during the raids of the sultan Mahmud of Ghazni (971–1031), and was again prominent in the reign of Nizam Shah Sikandar Lodi, Sultan of Delhi (1489–1517). Babur, the first great Mogul ruler, made Agra his home in 1527. The present city was founded in 1566 as the capital of the Mogul empire, and covered an area of 28 sq km/10.8 sq mi. Akbar, grandson of Babur, built the Gate of Chitor in 1568 and rebuilt the Red Fort of Salim Shah in 1566. The walls around the fort were 2 km/1.5 mi long. In the 17th century the buildings of the emperor Shah Jahan made Agra one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The Taj Mahal, erected as a tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, was completed in 1650. Agra's political importance dwindled from 1658, when Aurangzeb moved the capital back to Delhi. It was taken from the Marathas for the East India Company by Lord Lake in 1803.