Alīgarh

Alīgarh is a prominent city situated in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Serving as the administrative headquarters of the Aligarh district, it functions within the Asia/Kolkata timezone and utilizes the INR currency.

What is the geographical and administrative framework of Alīgarh?

Lying at coordinates 27.88145 latitude and 78.07464 longitude, the city is positioned 342 kilometres northwest of the state capital Lucknow and approximately 130 kilometres southeast of New Delhi. Alīgarh is the administrative headquarters of both the Aligarh Division and the Aligarh Police Range. Within its district boundaries, the territory is divided into five tehsils—Kol Tehsil, Khair Tehsil, Atrauli, Gabhana, and Iglas—which are further divided into 12 blocks. The surrounding region shares borders with Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Sambhal, Badaun, Kasganj, Hathras, Etah, and Mathura districts, alongside Palwal district in Haryana.

How is the municipality governed and funded?

Civic administrative functions are managed by Nagar Nigam Aligarh (the Municipal Corporation) under the Uttar Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act-1959, led by a Mayor and a Municipal Commissioner who is a PCS Officer. Infrastructure development is overseen by the Aligarh Development Authority, which is administered by a Divisional Commissioner as chairman and a vice-chairman who is also a PCS Officer. Spanning an area of 40 square kilometres, the Aligarh Municipal Corporation reported a revenue of ₹365 crore and an expenditure of ₹257 crore in 2022–23 according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. During this period, taxes contributed 35.1% of the revenue, while 64.9% of the income came from other sources.

What defines the population and linguistic profile of the area?

Recognized as the 53rd most populous city in India, Alīgarh recorded a total population of 753,207 according to GeoNames data, while the 2011 Census recorded a city population of 874,408 across 147,363 households. The demographic breakdown from the 2011 Census included 461,772 males and 412,636 females, with 119,543 individuals in the 0–6 age range. The recorded population for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes stood at 138,184 and 332 respectively. Situated within the cultural region of Braj, the population engages with multiple recognized languages, including en-IN, hi, bn, te, mr, ta, ur, gu, kn, ml, or, pa, as, bh, sat, ks, ne, sd, kok, doi, mni, sit, sa, fr, lus, and inc, with Hindi serving as the most spoken language and Urdu as the second-largest.

What is the historical backdrop of Alīgarh's prominence?

Historically known as Kol or Koil, the settlement functioned as a significant political and economic center during the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire, frequently noted in Persian and non-Persian sources for activities such as distilled wine production and fortress defense. The recorded history of the area dates back to the 12th century under Dor Rajput sway, prior to Qutb-ud-din Aibak's 1194 invasion. The city later saw the rebuilding of the Aligarh Fort in the 16th century and the Battle of Aligarh on 1 September 1803 during the Second Anglo-Maratha War, which established British rule. In 1875, the city became the foundation site of the Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental College, later known as Aligarh Muslim University, which initiated the Aligarh Movement.