Indian Land Measurement Glossary
Confused by terms like Katha, Kanal, or Guntha? Use this dictionary to find accurate definitions and conversion values for all traditional Indian land units.
Acre
A standard international unit used widely across India for agricultural land.
Ankanam
A traditional unit used for residential plots and houses in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Bigha (Pucca)
The 'standard' Bigha used throughout North India. Usually standardized during British revenue settlements.
Bigha (Kacha)
An informal unit used in rural deals. It is typically one-third the size of a Pucca Bigha.
Biswa
A sub-unit of Bigha. In most standardized regions, 20 Biswa make 1 Bigha.
Cent
A standard metric unit used widely in South India. It is exactly 1/100th of an Acre.
Chatak
A very small unit used in West Bengal. 16 Chataks make 1 Katha.
Decimal
Often used interchangeably with 'Cent'. It represents 1/100th of an Acre.
Dhur
A small unit used in Bihar and Jharkhand. 20 Dhurs make 1 Katha.
Ground
A unit specific to Tamil Nadu real estate, especially in Chennai city.
Guntha
A very common unit in Western India. 40 Gunthas make 1 Acre.
Hectare
The official metric unit used for government land records (7/12, Jamabandi) across India.
Kanal
A traditional unit in North-West India. 8 Kanals make 1 Acre.
Katha
A popular unit in East India. The size varies significantly between states.
Marla
The smallest unit in the Kanal system. 20 Marlas make 1 Kanal.
Nali
A unit used in the hill regions of Uttarakhand. It represents the land needed to sow 2kg of seeds.