Aligarh

Western Uttar Pradesh city known for Aligarh Muslim University and India's lock-making industry.

Aligarh is a city in western Uttar Pradesh, about 130 km southeast of Delhi and an easy side trip from Agra. It is best known as the home of Aligarh Muslim University, one of the most important educational institutions in South Asia, founded in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. The campus is worth visiting for its red-brick Indo-Saracenic buildings and the Jama Masjid at its centre.

Beyond the university, Aligarh is an industrial city known for its lock and hardware manufacturing — it produces the majority of locks made in India, and the Upper Kot Bazaar where the lock trade is centred is a genuinely interesting place to wander. The Aligarh Fort, partly used now as botanical gardens by the university, retains impressive ramparts and bastions. The city is not a major tourist destination, but travellers passing between Delhi and Agra may find it a worthwhile detour.

Guide

Getting There

Aligarh sits on the main Delhi–Agra rail corridor, which makes it easy to incorporate into a journey along the Golden Triangle. Aligarh Junction handles frequent express and passenger trains: Delhi Hazrat Nizamuddin is about 1.5–2 hours away; Agra is about an hour in the other direction. Several Shatabdi and Rajdhani express trains stop here.

By road, the NH19 (old NH2) runs through Aligarh, and the Yamuna Expressway links the region to Delhi in around 90 minutes to two hours depending on traffic. Taxis and shared autos run between Agra and Aligarh throughout the day.

There is no commercial airport in Aligarh. The nearest functioning airports are at Agra (about 90 km) and Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (about 130 km).

Guide

Things to Do

Aligarh's main draw for visitors is Aligarh Muslim University, whose campus is one of the finest examples of Indo-Saracenic architecture in northern India. Beyond that, the city rewards a morning's walking around its bazaars, and the Aligarh Fort is a manageable detour. Most visitors combine Aligarh with a day trip from Agra or as a stop between Delhi and the Taj Mahal corridor.