Battle of Ally Ghur (1803)
-
Main article: Battle of Ally Ghur
The Battle of Ally Ghur was fought on September 1, 1803 during the Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803-1805) at Aligarh Fort. The British 76th Regiment, now known as the Duke of Wellington's Regiment laid siege of the fort which was under first-rate French officer Perron and established British rule after overtaking the fort.
Establishment of Aligarh Muslim University (1875)
In 1875, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan founded the Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College in Aligarh and patterned the college after Oxford and Cambridge universities that he had visited on a trip to England. This later became Aligarh Muslim University in 1920.
Geography
Aligarh is located at 
27.88° N 78.08° E. It has an average elevation of 178 metres (587 feet). The city is situated in the middle portion of Doab, or the land between the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers. The Grand Trunk Road passes through the city.
Climate
Aligarh has a hot and dry climate. The mean temperature for December
and January, the coldest months is 59°F (15°C) and 54°F (12.2°C), and
for May and June, the extreme hot months, 90°F (32.2°C) and 93°F
(33.8°C) in the shade .
Demographics
As of the census of 2001
, Aligarh had a population of 667,732. Males constitute 53% of the
population and females 47%. Aligarh has an average literacy rate of
55%, lower than the national average of 59.5%; with 59% of the males
and 41% of females literate. 16% of the population is under 6 years of
age.
Economics
The city is an agricultural trade centre. The processing of agricultural products and manufacturing are also important. It is particularly famous for locks and brass castings (sculptures). In 1870, Johnson & Co. was the first English
locks firm to be set up in Aligarh. In 1890, the Johnson & Co.
initiated the manual production of locks on a small scale here.
There is a thermal power station 15 km away from the city. It is called
Harduaganj Thermal Power Station (but referred as Kasimpur Power House)
Education
Aligarh is synonymous with the University that is spread across much of the city civil lines area. Aligarh Muslim University
is a residential academic institution of international repute offering
more than 250 courses in traditional and modern branches of education.
It is a premier central university with several faculties and
maintained institutions and draws students from all corners of the
world, specially Africa, West Asia and South East Asia.
Other famous schools of this city are:
- Our Lady of Fatima Secondary School
- Delhi Public School
- St. Fidelis
- Aligarh Public School
- Heritage International School (Tala Nagari & Premier Nagar)
- Three Dots
- D.S. Degree college
- S.V. Degree college
- T.R. Girls college
- Indian Institute of Medical Representative
- Institute Of Information Management Technology (IIMT)
- Blue Bird Senior Secondary School
- Shivadan Singh Institute of technology and management (SSITM)
- Aligarh College of Engineering and Management (ACEM)
- S.T.High School (Minto Circle)
- Albarkat Institute of Management (Anoop Shehar Road)
- zakir Hussain sr Sec School
Important Places
There are 2 popular landmarks in Aligarh. One is Aligarh fort and another is Sir Syed Masjid in Aligarh Muslim University's campus.
The city also has a few known markets - Railway Road market, Centre
Point Market, Amir Nisha and Shamshad market. Amir Nisha market is a
major shopping hub, a favorite for women as it has a variety of
clothes, jewelery and cosmetics. Another popular market for students is
Shamshad market with many educational book shops. Center point market
is known for its popular eating joints like Kwality, Mezbaan, Baskin
Robbins and Wheelers and an ancient Lord Hanumaan temple named Tikaram
Mandir. A huge rush can be seen in the temple on Tuesday.
Aligarh is also famous for its sweets and namkeens. Kunjilal,
Khyaliram, Vikas sweets are among the top sweets shops, while Babboo
and Dabboo lead the namekeen segment.
The Annual Cultural Exhibition at Exhibition ground is a very famous
event and a huge affair in the month of January and February.
Important Residential Places
This city is divided into two areas known as Old Aligarh (City)
& New Aligarh (Civil Lines). New Aligarh consists of Avantika
colony, Ramghat road, Jamalpur, Sir Syed Nagar, Badar bagh, Zohrabagh,
Surendra Nagar, Janakpuri, Professor colony, gyan sarover, maan
sarover, Shyam Nagar, Medical Colony and Zakaria Market while Delhi
Gate, Sasni Gate, Mahavir Ganj, Railway Road, Jaiganj, Uparkote,
Gambhir pura, Mahendra Nagar, Saray Sultani, Janak Puri and Vikram
Colony are some of the residential areas in old Aligarh.
A church in Naqvi Park, a lesser known part of Aligarh.
References
- ^ a b c d History of Aligarh
- ^ a b Britannica
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Aligarh
- ^ Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns. (Provisional). Census Commission of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
- ^ Census of India 2001
- ^ Times of India
External links
- Aligarh First Advanced Web portal :: Free Aligarh Yellow Pages :: Bringing Aligarh City online
- Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh History 
