Capitals of ancient kingdoms in Uttar Pradesh

Agra (; ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. It is also the part of Braj region. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the fourth-most populous city in Uttar Pradesh and twenty-third most populous city in India.

Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ), or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. Located in the middle-Ganges valley in the southeastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi lies on the left bank of the river. It is to the southeast of India's capital New Delhi and to the southeast of the state capital, Lucknow. It lies downstream of Prayagraj, where the confluence with the Yamuna river is another major Hindu pilgrimage site.

Lucknow () is a metropolis and the second largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh where it serves as the capital and the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division. The city had a population of 2.8 million according to the 2011 census making it the eleventh most populous city and the twelfth-most populous urban agglomeration of India. It is an important centre of education, commerce, aerospace, finance, pharmaceuticals, information technology, design, culture, tourism, music, and poetry. Lucknow, along with Agra and Varanasi, forms the backbone of the Uttar Pr

Prayagraj (, ; ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Prayagraj district, the most populous district in the state and 13th most populous district in India and the Prayagraj division. The city is the judicial capital of Uttar Pradesh with the Allahabad High Court being the highest judicial body in the state. Prayagraj is the seventh most populous city in the state, thirteenth in Northern India and thirty-sixth in India, with an estimated population of 1.53 million in the city.

Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located south-east of Delhi; and about from the town of Vrindavan. In ancient times, Mathura was an economic hub, located at the junction of important caravan routes. The 2011 Census of India estimated the population of Mathura at 441,894.

Jhansi () is a historic city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. (Toshan) Balwant Nagar was the old name of Jhansi. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand, on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme south of Uttar Pradesh. Jhansi is the administrative headquarters of Jhansi district and Jhansi division. Also called the Gateway to Bundelkhand, Jhansi is situated near and around the rivers Pahuj and Betwa at an average elevation of . It is about from national capital New Delhi, 109 kilometres (67.7 mi) from Gwalior, 240 kilometres (150 mi) from Kanpur and from state capital Lucknow.

Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became the top tourist destination of Uttar Pradesh with 110 million visitors in the first half of 2024, surpassing Varanasi.

Hastinapur () is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Hastinapura is described as the capital of the Kuru kingdom in Hindu texts such as the Mahabharata and the Puranas; it is also mentioned in ancient Jain texts. Hastinapur is located on the right bank of the Ganga river.

Faizabad (Hindustani pronunciation: [fɛːzaːbaːd]) is a city located in Ayodhya district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated on the southern bank of the River Saryu about 6.5 km from Ayodhya City, the district headquarter, 130 km east of the state capital Lucknow. Faizabad was the first capital of the Awadh Kingdom and has monuments built by those Nawabs, like the Tomb of Bahu Begum, Gulab Bari. It was also the headquarters of Faizabad district (now Ayodhya district) and Faizabad division (now Ayodhya division) before November 2018. Faizabad is a twin city of Ayodhya and it is

Kannauj (Hindustani pronunciation: ) is an ancient city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located 113 km (71 mi) from Etawah, 93 km (58 mi) from Kanpur, 129 km (81 mi) from Lucknow. The city's name is an evolved form of the classical name Kanyakubja. During the ancient Vedic period, it was the capital city of the Panchala Kingdom during the reign of king Vajrayudha. In the medieval era, it formed the core of the Kingdom of Kannauj and was ruled by multiple su

Mahoba is a city in Mahoba District of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in the Bundelkhand region, well known for the ninth century granite Sun temple built in Pratihara style. It is also well known for the 24 rock-cut Jain tirthankara image on Gokhar hill. Mahoba is known for being the capital of Chandela dynasty and its closeness to Khajuraho, Lavkushnagar and other historic places like Kulpahar, Charkhari, Kalinjar, Orchha, and Jhansi. The town is connected with railways and state highways.

Shravasti (, ; ) is a town in Shravasti district in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was the capital of the ancient Indian kingdom of Kosala where the Buddha lived most after his enlightenment. It is near the Rapti river in the northeastern part of Uttar Pradesh India, close to the Nepalese border.

Indraprastha (Sanskrit: इन्द्रप्रस्थ, lit. "Plain of Indra" or "City of Indra"), contemporarily in Delhi, is a city cited in ancient Indian literature as a constituent of the Kuru kingdom. It was designated the capital of the Pandavas, a brotherly quintet in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The city is sometimes also referred to as Khandavaprastha or Khandava Forest, the epithet of a forested region situated on the banks of Yamuna river which, going by the Hindu epic Mahabharata, was cleared by Krishna and Arjuna to build the city. Under the Pali form of its name, Indapatta, it is also mentioned in

thumb|Old Delhi, Yamuna river bank Shahjahanabad, colloquially known as Old Delhi (Hindustani: Purāni Dillī), is a place in the Central Delhi district of Delhi, India. It was founded as a Walled City and officially named Shahjahanabad in 1648, when Shah Jahan decided to shift the Mughal capital from Agra. The construction of the fortified city was completed in 1648, and it remained the capital of Mughal India until its fall in 1857, when the British Empire (whose Indian capital was at Calcutta) took over as paramount power in the Indian subcontinent. After the inauguration of New Delhi as the

Kosambi (Pali) or Kaushambi (Sanskrit) was an ancient city in India, characterized by its importance as a trading center along the Ganges Plain and its status as the capital of the Vatsa Kingdom, one of the sixteen mahajanapadas. It was located on the Yamuna River about southwest of its confluence with the Ganges at Prayaga (modern Prayagraj), which made it a powerful center for trade and beneficial for the Vatsa Kingdom.

Kampil, historically known as Kampilya, is a town and a Nagar panchayat in Farrukhabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located about 45 km from Farrukhabad, and 55 km from Budaun. It is a very important place from a historical point of view.

Kampilya was the capital of the Panchala Kingdom, which was a mahajanapada mentioned in the Mahabharata. Kampilya was the capital of southern Panchala and Ahichchhatra was the capital of northern Panchala. Kampilya was ruled by Drupada during Mahabharata period. It is mentioned in Mahabharata that when the Pandavas were in exile and staying in Ekachakra (Etawah), (Uttar Pradesh) they learned that Drupada, King of Panchala, had announced the Swayamvara of his daughter Draupadi. Then they went to Kampilya (Kampil, Uttar Pradesh), the capital of Drupada.

thumb|upright=1|Gupta art|Gupta [[terracotta of the personified Ganges, 5th-6th century CE, National Museum, New Delhi.]]