At the time of the time of Moghuls in the 16th and 17th centuries, Agra was the capital of India and its superb monuments date from that era. In particular Agra has its magnificent fort and the building which many people have visited India solely to see – the taj mahal. Situated on the banks of the Yamuna River, with its crowded alleys and its predatory rickshaw riders, Agra is much like any other north Indian city, once you’re away from these Imposing reminders of Moghul splendour. There's an excellent train service making this eminently practicable. Actually Agra is worth more than a day, particularly if you also intend to visit, as you should, the deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri. In any case the Taj deserves more than a single visit if you are going to appreciate how its appearance changes under different light.

Agra became the capital of Sikandar Lodi in 1501 but it soon passed on to the Moghuls and both Babur and Humayun made some early Moghul constructions here. It was under Akbar that Agra first aspired to its heights of magnificence. From 1570 to 1585 Akbar ruled from nearby Fatehpur Sikri. When he abandoned that city he moved to Lahore (now in Pakistan) but returned to Agra in 1599 and remained there until his death in 1605. Jehangir, with his passion for Kashmir, did not spend a great deal of time at Agra but Shah Jahan is the name inevitably connected with Agra. He built the Jami Masjid, most of the palace buildings inside the Agra Fort and, of course, the Taj Mahal. Between 1638 and 1650, however, he built the Red Fort and Jami Masjid in Delhi and would probably have moved the capital there had he not been deposed and imprisoned by his son, Aurangzeb, in 1658. Aur-angzeb did transfer the capital there.

In 1761 Agra fell to the Jats who did much damage to the city and its monuments, even going so far as to pillage the Taj Mahal. In turn it was taken by the Marathas in 1770 and passed through several more changes before the British took control in 1803. There was much Fighting around the fort during the Mutiny in 1857.