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Measurement of Distance in Ancient India

1 Kos or Krosh = 2 miles, 
30 Kos or Krosh = 60 miles.

According to the latest measurements, the distance is calculated as 80 miles.

culled from Valmiki Ramayan, [2/54/29]

Ancient Indian Measurement
The Ancient Indian measures for distance, as per Kautilya's Arth Shaastra, a republication of Penguin, are: 

1 Angul (finger wide space) = 3/4 of present day 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; 
4 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; 

and this being so, the British Revenue measured a Yojan as a 5 mile distance and Chambers and Oxfords has this 5 mile figure in their dictionaries, while traditionally a Yojan (4 Krosh or Kos) is said to be as a distance of 10 miles.

[Taken from Valmiki Ramayan 3/69]

Note:  Both passages are taken from Valmiki Ramayana, but both do not match among themselves.

 

 

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Created by Sushma Gupta On 5/27/04
Contact:  mahaabhaarat@yahoo.com
Modified on 11/10/04