The Mughal Empire was an empire in southern Asia.
The Indian subcontinent or the subcontinent , also called the Indian continent , is a southern region of Asia , mostly situated on the Indian Plate and projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas . The Mughal Empire or Mogul Empire , self-designated as Gurkani ( گورکانیان , Gūrkāniyān , meaning `` son-in-law '' ) , was an empire in the Indian subcontinent , established and ruled by a Muslim Turkic dynasty of Chagatai origin from Central Asia . The Mughal empire extended over large parts of the Indian subcontinent and Afghanistan .