Ahmadābād declined in the 18th century, perhaps due to the change from being a thriving commerical center under the Mughliyah Salṭanat (Mughal Empire) to being the seat of a contest between Maratha clans of Pune and Vadodara. Aurangābād also declined in that century, starting as the capital of the Mughliyah Salṭanat, and ending the century under the Marathas, no longer a capital. Lakhnau gained in the late 18th century, becoming capital of Awadh, a state that splintered from the Mughliyah Salṭanat.