Kos (unit)
| Kos (unit) | |
|---|---|
| Unit system | Arthashastra |
| Unit of | length |
| Symbol | kos |
| Unit conversions | |
| 1 kos in ... | ... is equal to ... |
| SI units | 3075 m |
| imperial/US units |
1.91 mi 10088 ft |
The kos (Sanskrit: कोस), also spelled Kosh, Krosh, krosha and Koss, is an ancient Indian subcontinental Arthashastra standard unit of distance, since at least 4 BCE. A kos is about 3.07 km or 1.91 miles.
The "Arthashastra: Chapter XX. Measurement of space and time", authored in 4th century BCE by Chanakya (Vishnugupta Kauṭilya), sets this standard breakup of Indian units of length:
Kos may also refer to roughly 1.8 km (1⅛ mile) or 3.2 km (2 miles).Arthashastra Standard unit of Kos or krosh is equal to 3075 metres in SI units and 1.91 miles in Imperial units.
Evidence of official usage exists from Vedic period to the Mughal era. Even now elderly people in rural areas refer to distances from nearby areas in kos. Most Hindu religious Parikrama circuits are measured in kos, such as 48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra. Along India's old highways, particularly the Grand Trunk Road, one still finds 16th to early 18th century Kos Minars, or mile markers, erected at distances of a little over two miles
...
Wikipedia