Kos (measure)
Encyclopedia
The kos is an ancient mathematical unit of distance that has been in use in the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...

 for over three thousand years; evidence exists from Vedic
Vedic
Vedic may refer to:* the Vedas, the oldest preserved Indic texts** Vedic Sanskrit, the language of these texts** Vedic period, during which these texts were produced** Vedic pantheon of gods mentioned in Vedas/vedic period...

 times to the Mughal
Mughal era
The Mughal era is a historic period of the Mughal Empire in South Asia . It ran from the early 15th century to a point in the early 18th century when the Mughal Emperors' power had dwindled...

 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.

Kautilya's Artha Shastra, gives this breakup of South Asian units of length:
  • 1 Angul (approximate width of a finger) = approx. 3/4 of an inch;
  • 4 Angul = Dharnugrah (bow grip) = 3 in;
  • 8 Angul = 1 Dhanurmushti (fist with thumb raised) = 6 in;
  • 12 Angul = 1 Vitastaa (span-distance of stretched out palm between the tips of a person's thumb and the little finger) = 9 in;
  • 2 Vitastaa (from the tip of the elbow to the tip of the middle finger) = 1 Aratni or Hast (cubit or Haath) = 18 in;
  • 4 Aratni (Haath) = 1 Dand or Dhanush (bow) = 6 ft;
  • 10 Dand = 1 Rajju = 60 ft;
  • 2 Rajju = 1 Paridesh = 120 ft;
  • 2000 Dand (Dhanush) = 1 Krosh or Gorut = 4000 yards or 2 1/4 miles - nearly 3.66 km;
  • 4 Krosh = 1 Yojan = 9 miles - nearly 15 km;


Kos may also refer to about 1.8 km (1 ⅛ mile) or 3.2 km (2 miles).

Along South Asia's old highways, particularly the Grand Trunk Road
Grand Trunk Road
The Grand Trunk Road also formerly known as Uttarapatha, Shah Rah-e-Azam or Sadak-e-Azam or Badshahi Sadak is one of South Asia's oldest and longest major roads...

, one still finds Kos Minar
Kos Minar
The Kos Minars or Mile Pillars are medieval milestones that were made by the Afghan Ruler Sher Shah Suri and later on by Mughal emperors. These Minars were erected by the Mughal Emperors on the main highways across the empire to mark the distance....

, or mile markers, erected at distances of a little over two miles
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