Milestones

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yards. Also found today are similar with bricks and plastered over with the looking signs indicating the position of lime. Though not architecturally very Mediterranean. buried high voltage cables and even impressive, they were an important Christian in compressed natural gas pipes. part of communication and travel in a nature, it was large empire. perennially at Roman Empire war with the <strong>Milestones</strong> were widely used by Kos is an ancient Indian unit of Muslims, Roman Empire road builders and were distance. It can represent either a Flourishing an important part of any Roman road distance of approximately 1.8 during the reign network though the distance travelled kilometres (1.1 mi) or 3.2 kilometres of the per day was only a few miles in some (2.0 mi). Minar is a Persian word for Macedonian cases. Many Roman milestones only tower. Abul Fazl recorded in Akbar emperors, its record the name of the reigning Nama that in the year 1575 AD, Akbar demise was the consequence of emperor without giving any place- issued an order that at every kos on attacks by Seljuk Turks, Crusaders, and names or distances. The first Roman the way from Agra to Ajmer, a pillar or Ottoman Turks. milestones appeared on the Appian a minar should be erected for the Way. At the centre of Rome, the comfort of the travelers. Post-Medieval Europe “Golden Milestone” was erected to The British built many milestones on mark the presumed centre of the Byzantine Empire the island of Malta. They consisted of empire: the original milestone has A mile-marker monument, the Milion, large slabs of local hard rock and were since been lost. was erected in the early 4th Century engraved with the distance to or from AD in Constantinople. It served as the a particular location. Many of these India starting point for measurement of were defaced in World War II to The Kos Minars (Mughal milestones) or distances for all the roads leading to disorientate forces in a potential Mile Pillars are medieval milestones the cities of the Byzantine Empire, and invasion. that were ordered to be erected by had the same function as the the 16th-century Afghan Ruler Sher Milliarium Aureum of Ancient Rome. In the USA Shah Suri and later added to by other The Milion survived intact until at least The Golden Milestone of Rome Mughal emperors. These Minars were the late 15th century. Its fragments inspired the Zero Milestone in erected on main highways across the were discovered again in the late Washington, D.C., intended as the empire to mark the distance. 1960s. point from which all road distances in the United States should be reckoned. A Kos Minar is a solid round pillar, The Byzantine Empire was the Odometers were used to measure the around 30 feet (9.1 m) in height that continuation of the Roman Empire in Roman milestone spacing, most likely stands on a masonry platform built the Greek-speaking, eastern part of based on Ancient Greek Technology. 6
While stepping out of the house today, when there no means of transport besides direction and getting closer to their how assured you feel, weather on a drive being on foot or probably riding a horse destination with every step. These markers around your own city or on a long inter- cart, when travel was fraught with danger or solitary sentinels around mud tracks state drive with a GPS installed in your car of being looted or killed by thugs, the were called milestones, sangmeel or or connected to Google Maps guiding you danger of ferocious animals, when there meelpathar. through the journey; which road to take, no places for night halts, not even a The word Sangmeel is a Persian conjoined where to turn and keep on the right chance of finding food or water enroute, word. Sang means stone and Meel is the course to reach your destination. Not just when the evening or night meant to stop, measure of distance. Thus Sangmeel the road, today we even have the luxury of climb a tree or hide in a cave, if at means milestone. Like Sang-marmar, the knowing how far is the next petrol pump or all...when there were no street lights but smooth, or soft silky stone, and similarly a way side eatery, a washroom or a place for the moonlight and the guiding stars, the Hindi word Meel Pathar. to relax or spend the night. only if you knew how to read them. If you find any old milestones along the But think of the times when the GPS or And of course, there were no road signs. road side, please stop and look at them, digital way-finders where not around, of But more than 2200 years back there were admire them, think of the people who the times when even the physical paper some parts of the world where, markers by thought of placing or erecting them at maps were also not mass produced and the side of the road, reassured travellers designated points only to help and assure were rare, when roads were not paved, that they were heading in the right you that you are on the right path. COLOUR CODES FOR MILESTONES ON INDIAN HIGHWAYS/ROADS NATIONAL HIGHWAY STATE HIGHWAY CITY ROADS RURAL ROADS YELLOW GREEN BLACK ORANGE NH 8 10 fnYyh 112 DELHI iq.ks 87 PUNE jksfg.kh 9 ROHINI lho.k 5 SIVAN 7
Page 1 and 2: companions on the road Rajinder Aro
Page 3 and 4: ilestones were originally stone obe
Page 5: A ‘pucca road’ was built in Raj
Page 9 and 10: Kos Minar dksl ehukj Much before th
Page 11 and 12: Part of the original 16th Century c
Page 13 and 14: Some old Indian milestones Located
Page 15 and 16: Hertiage lost and found Milestones
Page 17 and 18: Children helping restore a heritage
Page 19 and 20: Road signs in 21st Century Traditio
Page 21 and 22: Though these markers are called mil
Page 23 and 24: Check these out By the side of a ro
Page 25 and 26: 25
Page 27 and 28: ut then ‘Life isn’t a matter of
Page 29 and 30: One of the largest milestones in th
Page 31 and 32: An Ode to Terminus (the God of boun

Milestones

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