In the Vedic Period, Uttar Pradesh formed part of the primordial country, Madhyadesha. Many of the vast states of primeval India burgeoned in the region now known as Uttar Pradesh. From the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, the Mughals ruled over the land. Gautama Buddha voyaged and sermonized expansively in this region. After Mughals, several other dynasties ruled the land. They were the Maurayas, the Guptas and the Kushanas. The Mughal emperor Shahjahan built the eminent Taj Mahal in Agra which makes the state truly a tourist paradise. After the crumbling of the Mughal Empire, Awadh came out as the center of power in this region. Subsequent to the seizure of Awadh, the British created the administrative unit called the United Provinces of Agra and Awadh.