The most accepted one is that it had its origin from the Hindi word agar meaning salt-pan, a name which was given to it because the soil in the region is brackish and salt used to be made here once by evaporation.

Others derive it from Hindu History claiming that the Sanskrit word agra (अग्र) which means the first of the many groves and little forests where Krishna frolicked with the gopis of Vrindavan.

Agra on the left bank of the Yamuna grew into a large flourishing town with royal presence, officials, merchants, scholars, theologians and artists.

[24] Babur (reigned 1526–30[25]), the founder of the Mughal dynasty, acquired Agra after defeating the Lodhis and the Tomaras of Gwalior in the First Battle of Panipat in 1526.

I had intended, wherever I might fix my residence, to construct water-wheels, to produce an artificial stream, and to lay out an elegant and regularly planned pleasure ground.

Shortly after coming to Agra I passed the Jumna with this object in view, and examined the country to pitch upon a fit spot for a garden.

In this brief interruption in Mughal rule between 1540 and 1556, Sher Shah Suri, established the short lived Sur Empire, and the region was eventually reconquered by Akbar in the Second Battle of Panipat in 1556.

.Agra continued to expand and flourish during Akbar's successor Jahangir's reign as he wrote in his autobiography Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri:[29][30] The habitable part of Agra extends on both sides of the river.

The mass of the people is so great that moving about in the lanes and bazars is difficult.Akbar's successor Jahangir (reigned 1605–27[25]) had a love of flora and fauna and laid many gardens inside the Red Fort.

[13] Delhi, in turn, fell to the British in September, following which an infantry brigade led by Brigadier Edward Greathed arrived in Agra on 11 October without any opposition from rebels.

Gradually, Agra declined to the position of a mere provincial town, and its prosperity declined:[36] But in the economy of the administration of British India Agra is nothing more than a district town; its size, proportions and manifold activities have come down to its present requirements, and continued life in this city does not come above the average of that monotonous muffasil life in India which has been so often and so vividly described by many gifted Anglo-Indian writers.

Agra has become of late years a large railway centre, and its commercial prosperity seems to be reviving.Agra's role in the Indian Independence movement is not well documented.

[48][better source needed][49] Post Independence, Taj Mahal has been visited by world leaders like US Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower (1959), Bill Clinton (2000), and Donald Trump (2020).

[50] Agra is the birthplace of the now extinct religion known as Din-i-Ilahi, which was founded by Akbar[51] and also of the Radhaswami Faith,[citation needed] which has around two million followers worldwide.

Though the municipality has claimed to stop 40 of these drains, the bigger ones, Bhairon, Mantola, Balkeshwar nalas continue to discharge huge quantities of untreated waste water without any check.

[113][114] Due to the presence of the Taj Mahal and other historic monuments, Agra has a booming tourism industry as well as royal crafts like Pietra Dura, marble inlay and carpets.

[122][123] Agra amassed a GDP of[clarification needed] 40.21 billions / 40,210 crores as per the data released by UP Government for the year 2018–19, thus the 3rd rank in the state.

[127][128] As of August 2020, Industrial activity in Agra has been affected as a result of the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has forced people to remain confined to their homes.

However, air pollution caused by emissions from foundries and other nearby factories and exhaust from motor vehicles has damaged the Taj, notably its marble facade.

[135] A number of measures have been taken to reduce the threat to the monument, among them the closing of some foundries and the installation of pollution-control equipment at others, the creation of a parkland buffer zone around the complex, and the banning of nearby vehicular traffic, and more recently, use of 'mud pack' therapy.

[141] Among the major attractions in the fort is Jahangiri Mahal, the largest residence in the complex, built by Akbar as a private palace for his Rajput wives.

[141] Nur Jahan commissioned I'timād-ud-Daulah's tomb, sometimes called the "Baby Taj", for her father, Mirza Ghiyas Beg, the Chief Minister of the Emperor Jahangir.

Located on the left bank of the Yamuna river, the mausoleum is set in a large cruciform garden, crisscrossed by water courses and walkways.

Sikandra, the last resting place of the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great, is on the Delhi-Agra Highway, about 13 kilometres (8.1 miles) from the Agra Fort.

The Jama Masjid is a large mosque attributed to Shah Jahan's daughter Jahanara Begum, built-in 1648, notable for its unusual dome and absence of minarets.

The Chini Ka Rauza, notable for its Persian influenced dome of blue glazed tiles, is dedicated to the prime minister of Shah Jahan, Afzal Khan.

Another dish that is endemic to Agra is dalmoth, which is a dry snack made with spicy fried dal (lentils), nuts and raisins.

Paratha, a pan fried flat wheat bread which is stuffed with potatoes, cauliflower, carrots or chhena, is also popular, and eaten accompanied with curd, pickle and chutney.

[161] The Gatiman express is India's first semi-high train speed service, and has cut travel time between Agra and Delhi to 100 minutes.

[164] As of January 2025, the Agra Metro project has made significant progress:The Priority Corridor, a 6 km stretch from Taj East Gate to Jama Masjid with 6 stations, began operations on March 6, 2024.