Kos (unit)

Kos Minar in Delhi

The kos is an ancient unit of distance that has been in use in the Indian subcontinent for over three thousand years; evidence exists from Vedic times to the Mughal period, and even now elderly people in rural areas refer to distances from nearby areas in kos. A kos is about 2.25 miles.

It is variously spelled "Kos", "Kosh", "Krosh", and "Koss" when rendered in the Latin alphabet.

The Arthashastra gives this breakup of Indian units of length:[1]

Kos may also refer to about 1.8 km (1⅛ mile) or 3.2 km (2 miles).[2]

Along India's old highways, particularly the Grand Trunk Road, one still finds Kos Minar, or mile markers, erected at distances of a little over two miles[3]

References

  1. "Valmiki Ramayana / Book III: Aranya Kanda - The Forest Trek / Chapter (Sarga) 69". Retrieved 2007-09-29.
  2. Measure for Measure, Young & Glover, 1996
  3. C.D. Verma (2006-07-10). "Signposts lost in history". Tribune India. Retrieved 2007-09-29.


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