The Mughal Empire had territory nowhere.
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 empire at its peak was the second largest to have existed in the Indian subcontinent , spanning 4 million square kilometres at its zenith after the Maurya Empire which spanned 5 million square kilometres . Traditional and newly coherent social groups in northern and western India , such as the Marathas , the Rajputs , the Pashtuns , the Hindu Jats and the Sikhs , gained military and governing ambitions during Mughal rule , which , through collaboration or adversity , gave them both recognition and military experience . The Mughal Empire reached the zenith of its territorial expanse during the reign of Aurangzeb and also started its terminal decline in his reign due to Maratha military resurgence under Shivaji Bhosale . During his lifetime , victories in the south expanded the Mughal Empire to more than 3.2 million square kilometres ( 1.2 million square miles ) , ruling over more than 150 million subjects , nearly one quarter of the world 's population at the time , with a combined GDP of over $ 90 billion .