Delhi* - capital of numerous Indian empires, ITH (>~300 BC)
Bombay* - (Mumbai) largest city today, key commercial centre, home of Bollywood, ITH (>~250 BC)
Vijayanagara - huge capital and religious centre of the Vijayanagara empire, UNESCO site (1336-1660)
Pataliputra - (Patna) capital of Mauryan and Magadh empires, major city today, ITH (>~500 BC)
Varanasi* - (Banares) oldest continuously inhabited city i/t world (>~3000 BC); Hindu holy city, ITH
Agra - capital of several Muslim states, in particular Mughal; home of Taj Mahal (>1506 AD)
Calcutta* - (Kolkata) major city today, capital of British India (>1699 AD)
Lahore* - capital of many Muslim empires, Gardens of the Mughals, 2nd city of Pakistan (>~500 BC)
Madras* - (Chennai) 4th city today, industrial and cultural centre, key port, ITH (>~1 aD)
Bangalore* - 3rd city today; cultural centre, important Chola, Vijayanagara city (>~900 AD)
Hyderabad* - [India] major city, culture and IT hub (>1590 AD) [Pakistan] 'Paris of India' (>1768 AD)
Madurai - key commercial and religious centre, important Tamil city ITH; Pandya capital (>~300 BC)
Ahmedabad - once capital of a sultanate, key Mughal/colonial industrial centre (>1411 AD)
Kolhapur* - major city mentioned in ancient mythology, major Buddhist centre, ITH (>~300 BC)
Prayaga - (Allahabad) Hindu religious site, capital of Muslim states and Gupta, ITH
Ayodhya - pre-modern city ITH; key Buddhist and Jainist centre, featured in Ramayana (>~500 BC)
Indraprastha - city from the Mahabharata, major Mauryan and Gupta city, near Delhi (~3000 BC-~600 AD)
Mathura - capital of Shursen and Kush, key Mauryan trade city, birthplace of Krishna (>~1000 BC)
Ujjain - capital of Asoka and Chandragupta, Hindu holy city, mentioned in Mahabharata (>~400 BC)
Taxila* - key Vedic, Greek, Mauryan and Buddhist centre, Indo-Parthian capital (~500 BC-500 AD)
Gulbarga - capital of Bahmani Sultanate (>~500 AD)
Jaunpur* - capital of Sultanate, centre of Sufi & Urdu culture, military stronghold (>1388 AD)
Rajagriha - first capital of Magadha kingdom, featured in Mahabharata, Buddhist holy city (>~1000 BC)
Sravasti - major ancient city and capital of large kingdom, Buddha lived here for 25 years
Tiruchirapalli - first capital of the Cholas, giant temple city, home of Srirangam (>~500 BC)
Thanjavur* - Chola capital, Vijayanagara centre and major temple city in south India (>848 AD)
Bodhgaya - Buddhist holy city, location of Mahabodhi temple
Kushinagar - Buddhist holy city, where Buddha died, capital of ancient kingdom
Amaravati - capital of Satavahanas and major ancient city, site of ancient Buddhist stupa (>~400 BC)
Gaur - capital of Pala empire and several muslim states in Bengal until Mughal times (<~1575 AD)
Gwalior - key medieval town, capital of some Muslim states, great fortress and palace, Jain centre
Jaipur* - once capital of a princely state, important colonial/industrial/modern city (>1728 AD)
Karachi* - site of Krokola (where Alexander built a fleet) & Debal, major modern port (>1772 AD)
Dhaka - capital of Bangladesh, commercial and since Mughal times political centre (>~600 AD)
Lucknow* - major cultural centre in north India with ancient roots, Mughal capital (>~1500 BC)
Jodhpur - major relgious, political and trade centre, capital of a medieval kingdom (>1459 AD)
Pune* - major city in Western India, educational, industrial and IT centre (>~700 AD)
Bhopal* - City of Lakes, capital of large princely state, educational and space centre (>~1000 AD)
Indore - capital of a princely state, major trade and political centre
Kanpur - key colonial/modern military/industrial centre, site of anti-British rebellion (>1207 AD)
Nagpur - major colonial/modern city, industrial/political centre (>~940 AD)
Peshawar* - key Pakistani city, Kushan capital, key Muslim & Buddhist centre, trade city on Silk Road
Multan - key Pakistani city, major commercial and Hindu religious centre, Muslim state (>~2000 BC)
Surat - diamond capital of the world, major seaport, foremost trade city of India under Mughal
Cochin* - capital of princely state since 1102 AD, major seaport throughout history
Cuttack* - ancient city, major trade centre, capital of medieval kingdoms
Bhubaneshwar - ancient city, capital of Kalinga, commercial and religious centre, IT hub
Tamralipta - key ancient trade city, on the Silk Road (~300 BC-~800 AD)
Chittagong* - 2nd city of Bangladesh, major seaport (>~800 AD)
Guwahati* - ancient city, Assam capital, rapidly growing modern city, major education centre
Vijayawada - major modern city, inhabited since stone age, centre for Buddhists, Hindu and Andhra
Mysore - capital of Mysore kingdom, (1399-1947), major modern city (>~1000 AD)
Srirangapatna - major Vijayanagara and Mysore city, huge temple city and pilgrimage site
Amritsar - Sikh holy city (>1574 AD)
Srinagar - important Mauryan, Kushan, Mughal, Sikh city, capital of Muslim states, ITH (>~300 BC)
Rewalsar* - sacred site for Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism
Vaishali* - ancient capital of a republic, major Buddhist and Jain centre (>~600 BC)
Cambay - ancient trade city known by Ptolemy, former key seaport, capital of a princely state
Anhilwara - powerful city and capital of Gujrat
Paharpur - ancient city, greatest Buddhist Vihara in subcontinent, UNESCO site (~700-~1200 AD)
Mahasthangarh - ancient city in northern Bangladesh, Hindu pilgrimage site (~600 BC-~1500 AD)
Gangai Konda Cholapuram - Chola capital of 3 centuries, major temple city in south India
Kanchi - major ancient city visited by Buddha and Pallava capital (>~500 BC)
Nagapattinam - major port city, key Chola city, important Buddhist centre, known by Ptolemy
Kaveripattinam - ancient major seaport known to Ptolemy, Chola capital (<500 AD)
Kalyani - capital of the Chalukya dynasty, religious centre
Dharwad - capital and cultural centre of Dharwad, Chalukya/Vijayanagara centre, Muslim stronghold
Salem - textile capital of the world, fast-growing modern city, religious and industrial centre
Coimbatore - major city, industrial and administrative centre (>~200 AD)
Masulipatnam - major trade port throughout history, known by Ptolemy and Periplus (>~300 AD)
Bidar - capital of Bahmani Sultanate and other Muslim states
Golconda - major Muslim administrative centre and fortress, diamond trading city
Ellichpur - capital of Sultanate of Berar, administrative centre under Bahmani, industrial centre
Warangal - capital of a medieval Hindu kingdom in central India, major economic hub today
Halebid - capital of the Haysala empire, major religious centre
Pratishthana - capital of the Satavahana empire
Bijapur - major city under Chalukya and various Muslim states (>~1000 AD)
Solapur - large modern industrial city, religious centre
Calicut* - ancient trade port, capital of Hindu kingdom, Vasco da Gama landed here
Bharuch - major trade city throughout history, founded by Greeks
Mangalore - major west-coast trade city throughout history, known by Pliny and Ptolemy
Dhar - medieval city, capital of Paramara, cultural and education centre
Amber - capital of Jaipur state until Jaipur city was founded, great fortress (~900 AD)
Chittor - Rajput stronghold, important medieval city
Vrindavan* - holy site and major temple city near Muthara, area where Krishna grew up
Badora - (Vadodara) major cultural centre in west India (>~800 AD)
Kalpi - Major muslim adminstrative centre
Belur - early capital of Hoysala empire, major temple city
Nainital - mountain station under British in Himalayas, administrative centre today (>1841 AD)
Jabalpur - cultural, educational, military centre, Tripuri capital and British administrative centre
Ranchi - summer capital under the British, capital of Jharkhand and centre of seperatist movement
Raipur - major modern city, commcercial and administrative centre (>~1400 AD)
Sonepur* - capital of a princely state in Orissa
Bogra - ancient trade centre, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu holy site, major city of Bangladesh
Darjeeling* - British mountain retreat/military outpost, famous for tea industry and railway (>1828 AD)
Imphal - capital of both ancient kingdom and modern state of Manipur (India east of Bangladesh)
Chandigarh - very successful modern planned city (>1950 AD)