Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh
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Aligarh अलीगढ़ علی گڑھ |
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| Metropolitan City | |
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 Aligarh
Aligarh
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| Coordinates: 27°53′N 78°05′E / 27.88°N 78.08°ECoordinates: 27°53′N 78°05′E / 27.88°N 78.08°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Uttar Pradesh |
| Division | Aligarh |
| District | Aligarh |
| Founded by | koil-Dor Rajputs; Aligarh-Nafaz Khan |
| Government | |
| • Body | Aligarh Nagar Nigam |
| • Mayor | Shakuntala Bharti |
| Elevation | 178 m (584 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 12,74,408 |
| • Rank | 55 |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 202001,202002 |
| Telephone code | 0571 |
| Vehicle registration | UP-81 |
| Website | aligarh |
Aligarh (; formerly Allygurh) is a city in the Northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of the Aligarh district. It lies 126 miles (203 km)) northwest of Kanpur and is approximately 90 miles (140 km) southeast of the capital, New Delhi. Notable as the seat of Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh is one of the largest cities in Uttar Pradesh as well as the 55th largest city in India.
Before the 18th century, Aligarh was known as Kol. The history of the district up until the 12th century is obscure.
According to an 1875 gazetteer written by Edwin T. Atkinson, the name Kol was given to the city by Balarama, who slew the great Asura (demon) Kol there and, with the assistance of the Ahirs, subdued this part of the doab. In another account, Atkinson points out a "legend" that Kol was founded by the Dor tribe of Rajputs in 372. This is further confirmed by an old fort, the ruined Dor fortress, which lies at the city centre.
Some time before the Muslim invasion, Kol was held by the Dor Rajputs. At the time of Mahmud of Ghazni, the chief of the Dors was Hardatta of Baran. Statues of Buddha and other Buddhist remains have been found in excavations where the citadel of Koil stood, indicating a Buddhist influence. Hindu remains indicate that the citadel probably had a Hindu temple after the Buddhist temple.
In 1194, Qutb-ud-din Aibak marched from Delhi to Kol, "one of the most celebrated fortresses of Hind". Qutb-ud-din Aibak appointed Hisam-ud-din Ulbak as the first Muslim governor of Koil.
Koil is mentioned in Ibn Battuta's Rihla, when Ibn Battuta along with 15 ambassadors representing Ukhaantu Khan, emperor of the Mongol Chinese Yuan dynasty, travelled to Kol city en route to the coast at Cambay (in Gujarat) in 1341. According to Battuta, it would appear that the district was then in a very disturbed state since the escort of the Emperor's embassy had to assist in relieving Jalali from an attacking body of Hindus and lost an officer in the fight. Ibn Batuta calls Kol "a fine town surrounded by mango groves". From these same groves the environs of Kol would appear to have acquired the name Sabzabad or "the green country".
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