The battle of Panipat was fought north of Delhi in 1526. On one side was the army of the Timur empire, under Babur (1494-1530) a descendent of Timur, and on the other, the army of the sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi. Using artillery, Babur was successful and took Delhi. The same year he defeated the Rajput princes and established what is called the Moghul Empire in north India. The empire would last more than 300 years until 1857. The greatest of all Moghul emperors was Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar "the Great". By his death in 1605, the Moghul Empire, in addition to the core territory, included most of modern Pakistan, Bangladesh and central India.

Art and architecture of the Moghul period saw a fusion of Hindu and Persian styles. European craftsmen were also hired to work for the Moghuls and added their influences as well. The most famous of the many palaces and mosques built at this time was the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum built for Mumtaz, the favourite wife of the Emperor Shah Jahan. It was mostly due to the patronage and financial support of royalty that some of the most splendid examples of art and architecture in India were created. Bidar in the Deccan was famous for its bidri (metal with silver inlay) industry while the Kotah region in Rajasthan was well known for its dyed fabrics.

Akbar, himself an illiterate, was fond of literature, history and learned men.He reorganized the school system and established libraries and universities. The poets Urfi (1555-1591) and Abul Fazal, and the historian Badauni worked at the Moghul court. He was an enlightened monarch who worked hard to fight religious intolerance and promote Hindu-Muslim unity. He took great interest in philosophy and religion and was a benevolent patron of the arts.

Rana ratap, the maharaja (king) of Mewar is remembered in the poem about his trusted horse "Chetak". A brave hero to many north Indians (in Rajasthan particularly), he was the only Hindu noble in northern India to successfully resist conquest by Akbar.

Chattrapati Shivaji was the leader of Hindu resistance against the Moghuls during the time of the Emperor Aurangzeb (1658-1707). Aurangzeb was a fanatical Muslim and persecuted his Hindu subjects. Shivaji founded the great Maratha Kingdom which came to include all of central India. His military achievements in resisting conquest by Aurangazeb and a daring escape from arrest in Agra made him a legend in what is now the state of Maharashtra.

European powers establish colonies. In 1609, the Dutch take Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from the Portuguese. England establishes trading colonies at Madras (1639), Bombay (1661) and Calcutta (1696). The French, meanwhile, set up a core territory on the southeast coast of India.

Moghul Court