Aligarh

This article is about the municipality in Uttar Pradesh, India. For its namesake district, see Aligarh district. For the 2015 Hindi film, see Aligarh (film).

Aligarh
City
From top, left to right: Sir Syed Mosque; Aligarh Clock Tower; Bab-e-Syed, Church of Ascension; Aligarh Habitat Centre; Kennedy House Complex
Aligarh is located in Uttar Pradesh
Aligarh
Aligarh
Location in Uttar Pradesh, India
Aligarh is located in India
Aligarh
Aligarh
Aligarh (India)
Coordinates: 27°53′N 78°05′E / 27.88°N 78.08°E / 27.88; 78.08
Country India
State Uttar Pradesh
DivisionAligarh
DistrictAligarh
Named forAli ibn Abi Talib[1]
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • BodyAligarh Municipal Corporation
 • MayorPrashant Singhal (BJP)[2]
Elevation
178 m (584 ft)
Population
 (2011)[3]
 • Total
874,408
 • Rank53
DemonymAligarian
Language
 • OfficialHindi[4]
 • Additional officialUrdu[4]
 • RegionalBraj Bhasha
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN Code
202001, 202002
Telephone code0571
Vehicle registrationUP-81
Websitealigarh.nic.in

Aligarh ( ⓘ; formerly known as Koil[5]) is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh district, and lies 342 kilometres (213 mi) northwest of state capital Lucknow and approximately 130 kilometres (81 mi) southeast of the capital, New Delhi. The cities and districts which adjoin Aligarh are: Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Sambhal, Badaun, Kasganj, Hathras, Etah and Mathura, as well as Palwal district of Haryana. As of 2011, Aligarh is the 53rd most populous city in India.

The recorded history of Aligarh begins in the 12th century, under the name Kol. Kol was a major city of the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire, serving as both a political and economic centre. Beginning with a major rebuilding of the Aligarh Fort in the 16th century, the city was renamed several times before eventually settling on the current name, Aligarh, in the mid-1700s. It is notable as the seat of Aligarh Muslim University, which was founded here as Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875, initiating the Aligarh Movement.

  1. ^ "District Aligarh History". Retrieved 25 October 2024. when a Shia commander, Najaf Khan, captured Kol, he gave it its present name of Aligarh.
  2. ^ "BJP wrests Aligarh, continues winning streak in Agra". Hindustan Times. 14 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Census2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Chandra was invoked but never defined (see the help page).