The Delhi-Agra belt

The history of Delhi and Agra is well known to everyone, especially during the Mughal era when numerous monuments sprung in both the settlements and around. But like any other region on the subcontinent, the Mughal period is just a brief segment of the gigantic history that had occurred before the 16th century. 

Back in the era of Mahabharata or the Vedic India, the region of Delhi belonged to the Kuruksetra kingdom, and the capital Rohitaka Kula (today's Rohtak) would be the closest to modern Delhi. The Salva people inhabited the area of Agra, one of them being the famous Satyavan, who married Savitri. The cities of Indraprastha (or Indapatta at times), Mathura and Rohitaka are well-mentioned in the Mahabharata. The tribes' Yadus and Yakrlomas inhabited the Agra region, becoming the tri-sectional meeting point of the Kunti, Surasena and Panchala kingdoms. Since the Yamuna or Jumna river is considered one of the most sacred rivers of India, the town settlements along the river have dated Iron Age. Even the early Greeks know this region by Charmai and Sourasenoi, while Mathura is written as Meteora. 

Apart from these well-known metropolises, another major settlement towards the east of the Jamuna-Chambal river basin, touching the arid region of northwest India, existed since the Vedic era. What was known as Viratanagara would be the predecessor to modern-day Jayanagar or Jaipur. The triangle formed between Delhi, Jaipur and Agra formed the nexus of almost every major north-Indian empire, be it Hindu or Muslim. As the medieval age continued and the knowledge about India rose curiosity among the Europeans, this region came to light concerning trade and commerce. Delhi mentioned as Indabara, Mathura as Modoura and the Yamuna river as Diamouna, existed between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. 

The closest city to today's Agra is Dholpur in Rajasthan, first marked during the 8th-10th centuries as Dhavalapuri. This was the time of the various medieval Hindu powers such as the Gurjara-Pratiharas, Palas and the Rastrakutas. At the same time, a newer settlement of Dhilika was established by the Tomaras clan of the Kuru kingdom. On the arrival of the Ghaznavids between 975 to 1200 AD, various new territories rose between the Delhi-Agra belt along the Yamuna river. These were Mahavana (Mahaban, in Mathura), Chandavar (in Etawah), Bayana (in Bharatpur) and Tahanagadha. But still, Agra was yet to be established. Agra's first mention was made during the 12th-13th centuries when The Gahadavalas and Muhammad of Ghor fought the famous Battle of Chandler between Jaichand of Kannauj (of the Gahadavalas clan) and Muhammad of Ghor. However, the city is reported to be established by Sikandar Khan Lodhi as his capital in 1505. 

The name Delli was more prominent than others on European maps. However, the location of Delhi has incorrectly placed between Decan in the south and Orissa (or Orixa) in the north. With the arrival of the Mughals, Agra rose to the importance of being the capital of not just the empire but also the individual subah. As European knowledge of Indian kingdoms increased, names such as Delly and Agra also appeared on their maps in the 17th century. Also, on the arrival of the Europeans, an English and a Dutch factory were opened at Agra between 1614 to 1636. 

On a 1708 dated map by Hubert Alexis Jaillot, one can find the alternative name to Agra mentioned as Ekerabad, a variant for Akbarabad that remained the only former name for the city. The subah to the west of Agra, Ajmer, was spelt as Asmere (or sometimes mentioned as Bando), having capital at Amber or Jayanagar, the predecessor to today's Jaipur. The Mughal name for Delhi, Shahjanabad, is seen misspelt as Gehanabad on European maps during the 18th century. The name Jaepour is mentioned on a 1764 dated map of India, although on another 1788 marked one, the name Jaenagur can be spotted. The English administration of the region had made sub-factions such as Mewat and Doab, between which Agra was sandwiched. The name Jayanagur became more prominent on early 1800s maps while the transfer of power between the diminishing Mughals and rising English East India Company took place in the background. Post-1771, Mughals were restricted to just the Red Fort at Delhi while the neighbouring powers grew in conflict against the Europeans. The supremacy and independence of Rajput forces would start when the sub-factional authorities of the Adjmir (Ajmer) province would give birth to modern Rajputana and, consequently, Rajasthan. 

In 1833, Agra Presidency was carved out of the bigger Bengal and made into a new province, Northwest Provinces. Soon as the districts were being carved out, the following would constitute the region between Delhi, Agra and Jaipur:

• Delhi
• Goorgaon (Gurgaon)
• Bullubgarh
• Alwar
• Bhurtpore (Bharatpur)
• Agra
• Jeypore (Jaipur)
• Muttra (Mathura)
• Allygurh (Aligarh)

Haryana is also mentioned as Hurianuh on 1827 dated map sketched by Phillippe Vandermaelen. The Delhi-Agra belt is critically centred on the 1857 rebellion, as some of the significant activities took place while the mutiny was spread out in the northern region. But going back to 1804, the place names mentioned on a map initially sketched by Aaron Arrowsmith give some more insights into the political administration of the region. Apart from the usual common words, two more additions can be found - Hissar Firozeh (Hisar-e-Firoza) and Tejarah (Tijara, in Alwar). The map also mentions a princely territory consisting of Tuppel (Tappal, in Aligarh) and Jaiwer (Jewar, in NOIDA). There is no clear description of how and when these royalties merged with the British province. Still, it could be speculated that the petty zamindari system would have been a practice here, succumbing to British prowess in the 19th century. SEveral misspellings are mentioned as well - Matra (Mathura), Alyghur (Aligarh; formerly Ramgarh), Futtehgur (Fatehgarh), Firosepoor (Ferozepur), Buhindshehr (Bulandshahr) etc. Another place named Akbarabad is mentioned, not Agra, but a small town near Aligarh. Several more styled Mughal cities, such as Muhammadabad (in Farrukhabad), Birhemabad, Shekohabad (in Firozabad), Shamshirabad (Shamshabad, in Farrukhabad), etc., are mentioned as well. This stresses that the knowledge of British mapmaking of India was concrete by now, and heavy reliance on Mughal documentation was done to create every single map. Below here is a recreation of the same described map.