Why Aligarh Is Called the City of Locks: The Full Story

Aligarh is called the City of Locks because it makes most of India’s padlocks and door locks. PTI and NABARD put the city’s share at about three-quarters of national production. Locally the city is known as Tala Nagri, and the trade employs over a lakh people, according to a 2016 PTI report.

The name is not new. Lock making in Aligarh goes back more than two centuries, and the industry has survived changes in technology, competition from imports and several economic shocks.

Where the craft began

The Ministry of Textiles’ handicrafts portal traces Aligarh’s lock craft to the 18th century, in the Mughal period. It credits the Miranpuri artisan community with introducing the craft to the town.

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At that stage, locks were made by hand in small workshops. Families passed the skill from one generation to the next, and the work stayed largely unorganised.

The British era and the first factories

The trade changed under British rule. Accounts of the city’s history record that Johnson and Co., the first English lock firm in Aligarh, was set up in 1870, and that small-scale lock production in the city began around 1890.

A 2016 PTI report described how the British organised what had been a scattered craft into a major economic activity. Workshops grew in number, and lock making became the city’s best known trade.

Why it matters: The mix of skilled hand workers and small factories set up in this period still defines how the industry is organised today.

How an Aligarh lock is made

Traditional Aligarh locks are made of brass, roughly 60 per cent copper and 40 per cent zinc. Recycled scrap metal is also used. The parts are sand-cast in moulds, then the levers and mechanisms are fitted by hand.

After assembly, each lock is filed, buffed and polished. The keys are also made by hand. Work is done in a line, with each worker handling one stage, and a skilled worker can make up to forty locks in a normal day, according to NABARD’s GI profile.

Not just padlocks

Aligarh makes padlocks and door locks for everyday use, but the city is also known for decorative and trick locks. The handicrafts portal lists puzzle locks, multi-key locks, handcuff-style locks known as hathkadi, and locks with false keyholes.

Many of these carry engraved patterns and are sold as collectibles as well as for security. Alongside locks, the city has a large brass hardware trade covering handles, hinges, fittings and similar items.

How big is the industry

There is no single official count of units, and figures differ by source and year. The most widely quoted numbers come from a PTI report of November 2016.

The same report noted that Aligarh is less than 150 km from Delhi, which has helped traders reach national markets.

The GI tag

Aligarh locks received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2023. The GI Registry’s list of new products from Uttar Pradesh, released at the end of March 2023, included Aligarh’s locks.

A GI tag means the name can be used only for products made in the region by the traditional process. It is meant to protect local makers from copies and to help with branding in export markets.

Aligarh under the ODOP scheme

The Uttar Pradesh government launched the One District One Product (ODOP) programme on 24 January 2018. Each of the state’s 75 districts was given one product to promote through credit, subsidies, skill training and marketing support.

Aligarh’s ODOP product is locks and hardware, listed under metal craft on the state’s ODOP portal. Support under the scheme falls into four heads: infrastructure, access to finance, skill development and marketing assistance.

Why it matters: ODOP gives small lock makers access to finance and buyers they would not reach on their own.

Challenges the trade has faced

The industry has gone through difficult periods. The 2016 PTI report described cheaper locks from China, Taiwan and Korea entering the market, along with a sharp rise in metal prices. Many small units closed while bigger ones moved to newer machines.

The same report said demonetisation in November 2016 caused a cash shortage that stopped work in a large number of units. A proposed Special Economic Zone for lock makers had been approved in principle but had made little progress at the time.

A 2024 report in The Hitavada quoted manufacturers on two newer concerns: high GST rates, which they linked to more Chinese imports, and the closure of smaller units after the Covid-19 lockdowns.

Where to see the locks

Lock and hardware shops are found across Aligarh, from the old city markets to the industrial areas where manufacturing units are based. Buyers looking for a traditional brass lock should ask whether it was made locally and by hand, as machine-made and imported locks are sold in the same markets.

For more on the city beyond the university, read our Aligarh section, and for other stories on the city’s past see History.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: PTI via Business Standard, November 2016; NABARD GI profile; Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts); UP ODOP portal, Aligarh.