Kol Tehsil
| Kol Tehsil | |
|---|---|
| town | |
| Country |
 India |
| State | Uttar Pradesh |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
Kol is a tehsil in the Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh, India. Kol is the old name for the city of Aligarh, and originally, the name was used for the area that is now covered by the Aligarh district. The present-day Kol tehsil is a part of Aligarh city. It covers the area beside the Grand Trunk Road.
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.
Ibn Batutah the famous Arab geographer and traveler has written an account of Kol in his travelogue. This was the area where he was robbed of all his possessions and left unclad:[1] while en route to China from Delhi as Muhammad Tughlaq's envoy to Ukhaantu Khan's court. Which according to H A R Gibb "...spring some of the most lively passages of his narrative, such as his escape from Koel (the modern Aligarh)."[2]
References
- ↑ National Geographic Dec. 1991: "Fortunately, Ibn Battuta who now had almost nothing more to rob, was able to convince his captors to let him go in exchange for his clothes. Eight days later, exhausted, barefooted and wearing nothing but his trousers,..."
- ↑ Travels In Asia And Africa, 1325-54 By Ibn Batuta, translated by H A R Gibb