Uttar Pradesh has an enormous historical legacy. The renowned epics of Hinduism - the Ramayana and the Mahabharata - were written in Uttar Pradesh. The state also had the glory of being home to Lord Buddha. It has now been established that Gautama Buddha spent most of his life in eastern Uttar Pradesh, wandering from one place to another to deliver the sermons.
The empire of Chandra Gupta Maurya had spread almost all over Uttar Pradesh. The decrees of this period were found in Allahabad and Varanasi. After the decline of the Mauryas, the present state of Uttar Pradesh was divided into four parts: Sursena, North Panchal, Kosal and Kaushambi. The western part of Uttar Pradesh saw the appearance of Shakas in the second century BC. The Gupta Empire ruled most of Uttar Pradesh and it was during this time that culture and architecture had peaked. The decline of the Guptas coincided with attacks of the Huns of Central Asia who succeeded in establish their reign. The seventh century witnessed the revival of Kannauj by Harshavardhana.
Akbar proved to be the greatest among the Mughal. During his rule, Agra became the capital of India and became the important center of culture and arts. Akbar laid the foundations of several modern Indian administration in many ways. His reign saw peace, tranquility, and progress. He built enormous forts in Agra and Allahabad. He changed his capital to a city called Fatehpur Sikri near Agra for a few years. The period of Shah Jahan is known as the golden period of Mughal India in art, culture and architecture. During his reign, classic wonder Taj Mahal was built in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. He also built the famous Red Fort in Delhi as well as Jama Masjid and Moti Mahal.