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Aligarh
Aligarh is a city in Aligarh District in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city is located about 90 miles southeast of New Delhi. It is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh District, Aligarh Police Range and Aligarh Division, and has a population of half a million. It is mostly known as a university town where the famous Aligarh Muslim University is located. The Aligarh division includes Aligarh, Etah, Hathras and Kanshi Ram Nagar districts.
History
Moat at the Aligarh FortAligarh was known by the earlier name of Kol or Koil before 18th century . Kol covered not only the city but the entire district, though its geographical limits kept changing from time to time. The origin of the name of Kol is obscure. In some ancient texts, Kol has been referred to in the sense of a tribe or caste, name of a place or mountain and name of a sage or demon. From the study of the place-names of the district, it appears that the district was once fairly well covered by forest, thickets and grooves. The early history of the district, indeed down the 12th century AD is obscure. According to Edwin T. Atkinson, Koil name was given to the city by Balarama, who slew here the great Asura (demon) Kol 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 Dor tribe of Rajputs in 372 A.D. This could be further confirmed by an old fort, the Dor fortress, now in ruins, which lies at the city's centre.
Some time before the Muslim invasion, Kol was held by the Dor Rajputs and that in the time of Mahmud of Ghazni the chief of the Dors was Hardatta of Baran . There is some reason to believe that Koil was once the seat of a Buddhist community as statues of Buddha and other Buddhist remains have been found in excavations made in the eminence on which the citadel of Koil stood. It also had Hindu remains indicating that in all probability the citadel contained in succession a Buddhist and a Hindu temple .
In the year 1194 A.D., Qutb-ud-din Aybak marched from Delhi to Koil which was "one of the most celebrated fortresses of Hind" . Qutb-ud-din Aybak appointed Hisam-ud-din Ulbak as the first muslim governor of Koil .
Koil is also mentioned in Ibn Battuta's Rihla, when Ibn Battuta along with 15 ambassadors representing Ukhaantu Khan, the Mongol Emperor of the Yuan dynasty in China, traveled to Koil city enroute to the coast at Cambay (in Gujarat) in 1341. According to Ibn 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 one of their officers in the fight. Ibn Batuta calls Koil "a fine town surrounded by mango groves". From these same groves the environs of Koil would appear to have acquired the name of Sabzabad or "the green country" .
In the reign of Akbar, Koil was made a Sirkar and included the dasturs of Marahra, Kol ba Haveli, Thana Farida and Akbarabad . Both Akbar and Jahangir visited Kol on hunting expions. Jahangir clearly mentions the forest of Kol, where he killed wolves .
During the time of Ibrahim Lodhi, Muhammad, son of Umar was the governor of Kol, built a fort at Kol and named the city after his own name as Muhammadgarh in 1524-25; and Sabit khan who was the governor of this region during the time of Farrukh Siyar and Muhammad Shah, rebuilt the old Lodi fort and named the town after his own name Sabitgarh. After the occupation of Kol by the Jat ruler Surajmal in 1757, it was re-named Ramgarh and finally, when a Shia commander, Najaf khan, captures Kol, he gave it its present name of Aligarh. Aligarh Fort (also called Aligarh Qila), as it stands today, was built by French engineers under the control of French officers Benoît de Boigne and Perron .
Geography
Aligarh is located at 27.88° N 78.08° E. It has an average elevation of 178 metres (587 feet). The city is situated in the middle portion of Doab, or the land between the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers. The Grand Trunk Road passes through the city.
Climate
This is a city having a hot and dry temperature. The coldest months of the year here are between December and January, where the mean temperature ranges between 15 degrees Celsius and 12.2 degrees Celsius. The hottest months of the year are between May and June where the mean temperature lies between 32.2 degrees Celsius and 33.8 degrees Celsius, in shade. .
Languages Spoken
The main languages spoken here in Aligarh are , English and . This is because the state Uttar Pradesh is a core of -Heartland, like the other states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan. In fact, so rich is the value for here that the accent used in here is the standard accent of language.
Next to , the next most spoken language of Aligarh is Hindustani. Basically, most of the people in Aligarh speak in Hindustani. is used more in the administrative fields. Today, Hindustani is also divided into two forms. Hindustani that is written in Devanagiri script is referred to as while Hindustani written in Nastaliq script is referred to as . Till date, Uttar Pradesh is proud of the many poets, and laureates it has produced, both in and .
Another popular language spoken in Aligarh is Awadhi. This is the language that is spoken mainly by the rural population, in Oudh. This language is a mix of and Khadi Boli that was propagated by Sufi poets of their time, especially by Amir Khusrau. However according to the latest census report of Uttar Pradesh, it has been found that Bhojpuri is the most spoken language in the state, after . So there is a variety of languages spoken in Aligarh; depending on the location and caste of people of Aligarh.
Important places
A church in Naqvi Park, a lesser known part of Aligarh.There are 2 popular landmarks in Aligarh. One is Aligarh fort and another is Sir Syed Masjid in Aligarh Muslim University's campus. Another old fort, the Dor fortress (1524), now in ruins, lies at the city's centre; its site is located in the area now called Upper Kot and is occupied by an 18th-century mosque. The city also contains tombs of Muslim saints .
Aligarh is also famous for its kachauri, sweets and namkeens. Kunjilal 14, Khyaliram and Vikas sweets are among the well known sweets shops, while Babboo and Dabboo lead the namkeen segment. The Annual Cultural Exhibition, popularly known as numaish, held at Exhibition ground is a very famous event and a huge affair in the month of January and February. The Aligarh is also famous for Sherwanis, especially the legendary Mehdi Hasan's shop.
Markets
Aligarh is one of the famous cities of the beautiful state of Uttar Pradesh in India. In addition to being a tourist destination with many places for you to visit, there are quite a few well known markets here worth visiting while in Aligarh. Some of the more famous markets of Aligarh include the Center Point Market, Railway Road market, Shamshad market and Amir Nisha.
The Amir Nisha market is a major shopping hub of Aligarh which is a favorite amongst the women. This is because there is a variety of clothes, cosmetics and jewelry available in the many stores here. The Shamshad market is popular with students as there are many al book stores here stocking books for all students from all branches. If you want to go to a place for food, then you have to visit the food market, Center point.
You find various eating joints that satisfy your taste buds like Baskin Robbins, Kwality, Mezbaan and Wheelers. There is also a Lord Hanuman temple found in the vicinity, called the Tikaram Mandir. There is always a huge rush here on Tuesdays; so if you don’t like crowds, avoid visiting it on Tuesdays.
You can also buy brass products in Aligarh as brass sculptures are hot amongst tourists here. The sculptures are finely cast, and found in various shapes and sizes. When buying these sculptures, keep your luggage in mind. You can also buy Aligarh pajamas while in Aligarh. This dress material is of a fine quality, and has no parallel in India anywhere in India.
103, Shriram Bhawan, Ranjeet Nagar Commercial Complex
New Delhi 110 008.
Tel: 42030300, 25702737, Fax: 91-11-25702636
E-Mail: midtown@airtelmail.in, midtown@del2.vsnl.net.in
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