Agra (English pronunciation: /r/; Hindi: , Urdu: ), the erstwhile capital of Hindustan, is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, 363 kilometres (226mi) west of state capital, Lucknow and 200 kilometres (124mi) south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 (2010 est.), it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most populous in India. Because 80 percent of the city's sewage flows into Yamuna River, it is 20th most polluted city in India. Agra can also refer to the administrative district that has its headquarters in Agra city. The city finds mention in the epic Mahbhrata where it was called Agrevaa, or 'the border of the forest'. Legend ascribes the founding of the city to Rj Badal Singh, a Sikarwar Rajput king (circa 1475), whose fort, Badalgarh, stood on or near the site of the present Fort. However, the 11th century Persian poet Mas'd Sa'd Salmn writes of a...
