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| Kos (unit) | |
|---|---|
| Unit system | Arthashastra |
| Unit of | length |
| Symbol | kos |
| Conversions | |
| 1 kos in ... | ... is equal to ... |
| SI units | 3000 m[citation needed] |
| imperial/US units | 1.8 mi 656 ft |
The kos (Hindi: कोस), also spelled coss, koss, kosh, koh(in Punjabi), krosh, and krosha, is a unit of measurement which is derived from a Sanskrit term, क्रोश krośa, which means a 'call', as the unit was supposed to represent the distance at which another human could be heard. It is an ancient Indian subcontinental standard unit of distance, in use since at least 4 BCE. According to the Arthashastra, a krośaorkos is about 3,000 metres (9,800 ft).[1]
Another conversion is based on the Mughal emperor Akbar, who standardized the unit to 5000 guz in the Ain-i-Akbari. The British in India standardized Akbar's guz to 33 inches (840 mm), making the kos approximately 4,191 metres (13,750 ft).[2] Another conversion suggested a kos to be approximately 2 English miles.[3]
The "Arthashastra: Chapter XX. "Measurement of space and time", authored in 4th century BC by Chanakya (Vishnugupta Kauṭilya), sets this standard breakup of Indian units of length:[4][better source needed][5]
Kos may also refer to roughly 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi)[6] Arthashastra standard unit of kos or krosha is equal to 3075 metresinSI units and 1.91 milesinimperial units.[7][dubious – discuss]
Evidence of official usage exists from the Vedic period to the Mughal era. Elderly people in many rural areas of the Indian subcontinent still refer to distances from nearby areas in kos. Most Hindu religious Parikrama circuits are measured in kos, such as 48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra. Along India's old highways, particularly the Grand Trunk Road, one still finds 16th to early 18th century Kos Minars, or mile markers, erected at distances of a little over two miles.[8]
