Aligarh History

Aligarh History : Prior to the eighteenth century, Aligarh was known as Kol. The Aligarh history of the district is unclear until the 12th century. Shortly before the Muslim conquest, Kol was held by the Dor Rajputs. At the time of Mahmud of Ghazni, the chief of the Doras was the Hari Datta of Baran. Statues of Buddha and other Buddhist relics have been found in excavations where the Koil stronghold reflects a Buddhist influence. Hindu relics indicate that there was a Hindu temple in the citadel after the Buddhist temple. In 1194, Qutb-ud-noise Aibak walked from Delhi to Kol, “one of the most renowned posts of Hind”. Qutb-ud-commotion Aibak delegated Hisam-ud-racket Ulbak as the primary Muslim legislative head of Kol.

Kol is mentioned in Ibn Battuta’s Rihla, when Ibn Batuta, along with 15 ambassadors, representing Emperor Ukhantu Khan of the Mongolian Chinese Yuan Dynasty, travelled to the Kol City en route in 1341 on the coast in Kambay (Gujarat). According to Batuta, it appears that the district was then in a very turbulent state, as the embassy escort of the emperor had to help Jalali to relieve the invading body of the Hindus and lost an officer in the battle. Ibn Batuta calls Kol “a fine city encompassed by mango trees. From these grooves, Cole’s messengers derived the name Sabzabad or “Green Country”

During the reign of Akbar, Kol was made a government and included the courtiers of Marahra, Kol Ba Haveli, Thana Farida, and Akbarabad. Jahangir explicitly mentions Kol’s forest, where he killed wolves. Umar’s son Muhammad was governor of Kol in Ibrahim Lodhi’s time. He built a fort in the name of Kol in 1524–25 and named the city Muhammadgarh. Sabit Khan, who was the legislative leader of the locale, remade the old Lodhi fort and named the city Sabitgarh after himself.