Location: I n the Western Uttar Pradesh, India
Climate: Summer 43°C-30°C, Winter 25 °C-5 °C
Best time to visit: October to March
Nearest Airport: Delhi Airport
Nearest Railhead: Aligarh Junction
Language spoken: Hindi, Urdu and English
STD Code: +91-571
Postal Code: 202001-202002
Aligarh is an important commercial
as well as educational center of India. It all started with the establishment of Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan in order to help Muslims come in terms with the changing realities of the world. In the later years, the city also became the launch pad for the nationalist movements in India including the famous Khilafat Movement of 1920s. The city produced a new breed of Muslim intelligence class that contributed in the functioning of the then government and its authorities. The city has been home to various nationalist leaders; notable among those are Syed Brothers, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Maulana Sibli Nomani and Zakir Hussein among others. The city has now developed itself as an important business center of Uttar Pradesh. The city is famous for its lock industry. The locks produced in Aligarh are exported all over the world. The city is an important center for Brass Hardware and sculptures as well. A visit to Aligarh is must for both casual visitors as well as researchers who want to trace origin of Nationalist movement in India. History
Aligarh is a city of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located about 90
minutes to the south east of New Delhi, has a population of half a million and
is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh district. It was during his wolf
hunting expeditions that Jahangir had described Aligarh, as a place covered by
forests, grooves and thickets. And it was only with this information that one
gets an idea of how Aligarh looked centuries ago. This is because nothing much
is known about the history before the 12th century as the history is completely
shrouded in obscurity. The earlier name of Aligarh was Kol, by which it was referred to till the 18th
century. It was only after the occupation by the British in September 1803 that
the present Aligarh was formed in 1804. Kol covered both the city and the entire
district, with geographical limits changing from time to time. Not much is known
about the origin of the name Kol. Some say it referred to a tribe or caste, the
name of a place or perhaps the name of a sage or demon. It was during the reign
of Ibrahim Lodi that the son of Umar, Muhammad was the governor of Kol. He had
then built a fort at Kol and named the city after his own name as Muhammadgarh
in 1524- 1525. However Sabit Khan, the governor during the reign of Farrukh Siyar and Muhammad
Shah had rebuilt the fort to name it after his name as Sabitgarh. It was with
the Jats occupation of Kol in 1775 that the city was renamed Ramgarh. And
finally, the Shia commander Najaf Khan who had captured Kol to give it its
present name, Aligarh. It was Sir Syed Ahmed Khan who had led the Aligarh Movement to educate Muslims
of the Indian subcontinent after the defeat of Indian rebellion of 1857. And
this was when he had founded the Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College following the
patterns of Oxford and Cambridge universities after making a trip to England. This College is now the famous Aligarh Muslim University
Geography and Climate
Aligarh is located at 27.88° N 78.08° E[3]. 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.Aligarh has a hot and dry climate. The mean temperature for December
and January, the coldest months is 59°F (15°C) and 54°F (12.2°C), and for May
and June, the extreme hot months, 90°F (32.2°C) and 93°F (33.8°C) in the shade
Economy
Aligarh is an agricultural trade centre. The processing of agricultural products
and manufacturing are also important. It is particularly famous for locks and
brass castings (sculptures). In 1870, Johnson and Co. was the first English
locks firm to be set up in Aligarh. In 1890, the Johnson and Co. initiated the
manual production of locks on a small scale here. There is a thermal power
station 15 kms away from the city. It is called Harduaganj Thermal Power Station
(but referred as Kasimpur Power House)
lora and Fauna
Being a railroad junction, Aligarh has developed into a commercial center of an
agricultural region which produces wheat, sugarcane, cotton, corn, barley and
millet. In addition to the lock industry, the other industries of Aligarh
include flour milling, processing of raw cotton and manufacture of butter and
glass.
