Standard land-unit equivalents (sq.ft)
| Unit | Square feet | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 sq.metre | 10.7639 | SI unit |
| 1 sq.yard (gaj) | 9 | Common in Delhi NCR |
| 1 acre | 43,560 | Standard imperial |
| 1 hectare | 1,07,639 | = 2.471 acres |
| 1 cent | 435.6 | = 1/100 acre; common in Tamil Nadu, Kerala |
| 1 ground | 2,400 | Tamil Nadu (= 5.5 cent) |
| 1 gunta (guntha) | 1,089 | Maharashtra, Karnataka, AP (= 1/40 acre) |
| 1 marla | 272.25 | Punjab, Haryana, HP (= 1/9 kanal) |
| 1 kanal | 5,445 | = 20 marla; common in north India |
| 1 biswa | 120.96 | UP, Bihar (1 bigha = 20 biswa) |
| 1 bigha | varies | State-specific — see below |
Bigha by state
| State | 1 bigha (sq.ft) | 1 bigha (acres) |
|---|---|---|
| West Bengal / Assam | 14,400 | 0.33 |
| Bihar / Jharkhand | 27,225 | 0.62 |
| UP (pucca) | 26,910 | 0.62 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 12,000 | 0.28 |
| Rajasthan (kachcha) | 17,424 | 0.40 |
| Punjab / Haryana | 9,070 | 0.21 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 6,804 | 0.16 |
| Gujarat | 6,750 | 0.15 |
FAQ
Why is land sold in such varied units?
Most Indian land units predate the metric system and were standardised village-by-village or district-by-district. Title deeds carried the historical unit forward; revenue records still use them. Real-estate listings often quote both the local unit and sq.ft for clarity.
Pucca bigha vs kachcha bigha?
"Pucca" (literally "ripe" / formal) bigha is the larger, government-sanctioned measure. "Kachcha" (literally "raw" / informal) bigha is roughly half. UP, Bihar, and Rajasthan all have both — confirm which one applies to a specific transaction.