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The Mughal Empire (Persian: سلطنت مغولی هند, Solṭanat Moġuli Hend; Urdu: مغلیہ سلطنت, Muġalīh Sulṭanat; self-designation: گوركانى, Gurkâni), as an important imperial power in the Indian Subcontinent from the early sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth centuries. At the height of its power, around 1700, it controlled most of the subcontinent and parts of what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan. Its population at that time has been estimated as between 100 and 150 million, over a territory of over 3 million square km. Following 1720 it declined rapidly. Its decline has been variously explained as caused by wars of succession, agrarian crises fueling local revolts, and the growth of religious intolerance. The last Emperor, whose rule was restricted to the city of Delhi, was imprisoned and exiled by the British after the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
The classic period of the Empire starts with the accession of Akbar in 1556 and ends with the death of Aurangzeb in 1707. During this period, the Empire was marked by a strongly centralized administration connecting the different regions of India. All the significant monuments of the Mughals, their most visible legacy, date to this period.

Early history
After the invasion of Persia by the Mongol Empire, a regional Turko-Persio-Mongol dynasty formed. Just as eastern Mongol dynasties intermarried with locals and adopted the local religion of Buddhism and Chinese culture, this group adopted the local religion of Islam and Persian culture. The first Mughal King Babur, established Mughal dynasty in India. Upon invading India, the Mughals intermarried with local royalty once again, creating a dynasty of combined Turko-Persian, Indian and Mongol background.
The language of the court was Persian although most of the subjects of the Empire were Hindu. The dynasty remained unstable until the reign of Akbar, who was of liberal disposition and intimately acquainted, since birth, with the mores and traditions of India. Under Akbar's rule, the court abolished the jizya (the poll-tax on non-Muslims) and abandoned use of the lunar Muslim calendar in favor of a solar calendar more useful for agriculture. One of Akbar's most unusual ideas regarding religion was Din-i-Ilahi ("Faith-of-God" in English), which was an eclectic mix of Hinduism, versions of Sufi Islam, Zoroastrianism, Jainism and Christianity. It was proclaimed the state religion until his death. These actions however met with stiff opposition from the Muslim clergy, especially by the Sufi Shaykh Alf Sani Ahmad Sirhindi. The Mughal emperor Akbar is remembered as tolerant, at least by the standards of the day: only one major massacre was recorded during his long reign (1556–1605), when he ordered most of the captured inhabitants of a fort be slain on February 24, 1568, after the battle for Chitor. Akbar's acceptance of other religions and toleration of their public worship, his abolition of poll-tax on non-Muslims, and his interest in other faiths bespeak an attitude of considerable religious tolerance, which, in the minds of his orthodox Muslim opponents, was tantamount to apostasy. Its high points were the formal declaration of his own infallibility in all matters of religious doctrine, his promulgation of a new creed, and his adoption of Hindu and Zoroastrian festivals and practices.
Religious orthodoxy would only play a truly important role during the reign of Aurangzeb Ālamgīr, a devout Muslim and the man responsible for many atrocities and eventual downfall of the Mughal empire; this last of the Great Mughals retracted the liberal policies of his forbears. Although under Aurangzeb, the empire extended to its largest, his rule was thus less popular with the Hindu Rajputs, and with the rise to military power of the Sikhs, may have been the prime factor in the downfall of the Mughals.

Religion
The Mughals used the mansabdar system to generate land revenue. The emperor would grant revenue rights to a mansabdar in exchange for promises of soldiers in wartime. The greater the size of the land the emperor granted, the greater the number of soldiers the mansabdar had to promise. The mansab was both revocable and non-hereditary; this gave the center a fairly large degree of control over the mansabdars.

Establishment and reign of Babur
* Afghan Rule (Sher Shah Suri and his descendants)

Successors
According to the document available in the State Library of Bhopal, Babur left the following will to Humayun:
"My son take note of the following: do not harbour religious prejudice in your heart. You should dispense justice while taking note of the people's religious sensitivities, and rites. Avoid slaughtering cows in order that you could gain a place in the heart of natives. This will take you nearer to the people.
"Do not demolish or damage places of worship of any faith and dispense full justice to all to ensure peace in the country. Islam can better be preached by the sword of love and affection, rather than the sword of tyranny and persecution. Avoid the differences between the Shias and Sunnis. Look at the various characteristics of your people just as characteristics of various seasons."

Babur's will to Humayun

Main article: Humayun Humayun

Main article: Akbar Akbar

Main article: Jahangir Jahangir

Main article: Shah Jahan Shah Jahan

Main article: Aurangzeb The Reign of Aurangzeb and the Decline of the Empire

Bahadur Shah I (Shah Alam I), b. October 14, 1643 at Burhanpur, ruler 1707–12, d. February 1712 in Lahore.
Jahandar Shah, b. 1664, ruler 1712–13, d. February 11, 1713 in Delhi.
Furrukhsiyar, b. 1683, r. 1713–19, d. 1719 at Delhi.
Rafi Ul-Darjat, ruler 1719, d. 1719 in Delhi.
Rafi Ud-Daulat (Shah Jahan II), ruler 1719, d. 1719 in Delhi.
Nikusiyar, ruler 1719, d. 1719 in Delhi.
Mohammed Ibrahim, ruler 1720, d. 1720 in Delhi.
Mohammed Shah, b. 1702, ruler 1719–48, d. April 26, 1748 in Delhi.
Ahmad Shah Bahadur, b. 1725, ruler 1748–54, d. January 1775 in Delhi.
Alamgir II, b. 1699, ruler 1754–59, d. 1759.
Shah Jahan III, ruler 1760
Shah Alam II, b. 1728, ruler 1759–1806, d. 1806.
Akbar Shah II, b. 1760, ruler 1806–37, d. 1837.
Bahadur Shah II aka Bahadur Shah Zafar, b. 1775 in Delhi, ruler from 1837–57, d. 1862 in exile in Rangoon, Burma. The lesser mughals
A few descendants of the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, are known to be living in Delhi, Kolkata (previously called Calcutta), and Hyderabad. Some of the direct descendants still identify themselves with the clan name Temur and with one of its four major branches: Shokohane-Temur (Shokoh), Shahane-Temur (Shah), Bakshane-Temur (Baksh) and Salatine-Temur (Sultan). Some direct descendants of the Mughals carry the surname of Mirza and Baig and are found predominantly in Pakistan particularly in Multan. There is some controversy surrounding the use of these surnames by imposters masquerading as descendants today. However, good genealogical records exist for most families in the subcontinent and are often consulted for establishing the authenticity of their claims.

Present-day descendants
The main mughal contribution to the south Asia was their unique architecture. Many monuments were built during the mughal era including the Taj Mahal. The first Mughal emperor Babur wrote in the Bāburnāma:
Fortunately his successors, with fewer memories of the Central Asian homeland he pined for, took a less jaundiced view of Indian culture, and became more or less naturalised, absorbing many Indian traits and customs along the way. The Mughal period would see a more fruitful blending of Indian, Iranian and Central Asian artistic, intellectual and literary traditions than any other in Indian history. The Mughals had taste for the fine things in life - for beautifully designed artifacts and the enjoyment and appreciation of cultural activities. The Mughals borrowed as much as they gave - both the Hindu and Muslim traditions of India were huge influences on their interpretation of culture and court style. Nevertheless, they introduced many notable changes to Indian society and culture, including:
The remarkable flowering of art and architecture under the Mughals is due to several factors. The empire itself provided a secure framework within which artistic genius could flourish, and it commanded wealth and resources unparalleled in Indian history. The Mughal rulers themselves were extraordinary patrons of art, whose intellectual calibre and cultural outlook was expressed in the most refined taste.

Centralised government which brought together many smaller kingdoms
Persian art and culture amalgamated with native Indian art and culture
Started new trade routes to Arab and Turk lands, Islam was at its very high
Mughali cuisine
Urdu and spoken Hindi languages were formed for common Muslims and Hindus respectively
A new style of architecture
Landscape gardening Alternate meanings

List of Mughal emperors
Mughal era (part of the History of South Asia series)
Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent
List of wars in the Muslim world
Turco-Persian/Turco-Mongol
List of the Muslim Empires
Islamic architecture
Mughal painting
Timurid dynasty