Indian Land Unit Converter

The Indian Land Unit Converter turns any traditional Indian land measurement — bigha, biswa, katha, gaj, marla, kanal, cent, guntha, ground, ankanam or kuncham — into square feet, square yards, square metres, acres and hectares. What makes it different from an ordinary area converter is that it is state-aware: a bigha in Uttarakhand is 6,804 sq ft while a bigha in Uttar Pradesh is 27,225 sq ft, a difference of four times. Pick the state first and every number on the page is re-based on the convention actually used there.

Why a Bigha Is Not One Size

India never fully standardised its customary land units. Each princely state and revenue district kept its own bigha, biswa and katha, and after independence those local definitions survived in land records even as the metric system became official. As a result the same word can mean very different areas a few hundred kilometres apart. Units introduced by British survey practice — the acre, the marla, the kanal, the guntha and the cent — are far more consistent, because they were all defined as fixed fractions of an acre.

Bigha to Square Feet by State

Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha do not use bigha in everyday practice. There land is measured in guntha, cent, ground, ankanam, kuncham or plain acres, all of which this converter also supports.

Nationwide Indian Land Units

These units keep the same value everywhere in India, because each is defined as an exact fraction of an acre or of a square yard.

Land Unit Conversion Formula

Every conversion here is a two-step process through square feet, which is used as the common base because each traditional unit has an exact square-foot definition.

Quick Reference Conversions

Pucca Bigha vs Kachha Bigha

A pucca bigha is the official revenue bigha: 3,025 square yards, 27,225 square feet, exactly five eighths of an acre. A kachha bigha is a smaller customary bigha that survives in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. In western Uttar Pradesh a kachha bigha is one third of a pucca bigha, roughly 9,075 square feet, while in Rajasthan the kachha bigha is usually quoted as 17,424 square feet. Sale deeds rarely say which one they mean, so if a plot sounds unexpectedly cheap or expensive per bigha, check which bigha the seller is using — this converter lets you test both in seconds.

Things to Watch Out For

How to Use This Converter

1. Select your state or region: This sets the size of a bigha, biswa and katha. The green hint line under the dropdown shows the exact values being used.
2. Enter the land area and its unit: Type the number and choose the unit it is written in, such as bigha, gaj, marla, cent or guntha.
3. Choose the unit you want: Pick the target unit, or use the swap button to reverse the conversion.
4. Click Convert Land Area: The result appears with the full conversion table for all 20 units.
5. Review the plot picture: See the equivalent square plot size, common frontage and depth combinations, and how the plot compares with a cricket pitch or a football pitch.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many square feet are in 1 bigha?

There is no single answer, because bigha is a regional unit. A pucca bigha in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Rajasthan is 27,225 square feet, a bigha in West Bengal and Assam is 14,400 square feet, in Gujarat 17,424 square feet, in Madhya Pradesh 12,000 square feet, in Punjab 9,072 square feet, in Himachal Pradesh 8,712 square feet and in Uttarakhand only 6,804 square feet. Always select the correct state before converting.

What is 1 gaj in square feet?

Gaj is the Hindi name for a square yard, and 1 gaj equals exactly 9 square feet or about 0.8361 square metres. Unlike bigha, gaj has the same value everywhere in India, which is why plot sizes in north Indian cities are often quoted in gaj.

How big is 1 marla and 1 kanal?

In the traditional Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh system 1 marla is 272.25 square feet, which is 30.25 square yards, and 1 kanal is 20 marla or 5,445 square feet. Eight kanal make one acre. Some urban areas use a revised marla of 225 square feet, so confirm which definition your documents use.

What is the difference between a cent and a guntha?

A cent is one hundredth of an acre, or 435.6 square feet, and is used mainly in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. A guntha is one fortieth of an acre, or 1,089 square feet, and is used mainly in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat. One guntha equals exactly 2.5 cents.

How many bigha are in 1 acre?

It depends on the state. With a pucca bigha of 27,225 square feet an acre is 1.6 bigha. In West Bengal and Assam, where a bigha is 14,400 square feet, an acre is about 3.03 bigha. In Uttarakhand, where a bigha is 6,804 square feet, an acre is about 6.4 bigha. Select your state in the converter to get the correct figure.

What is the difference between a pucca and a kachha bigha?

A pucca bigha is the official revenue bigha of 27,225 square feet, equal to 3,025 square yards or five eighths of an acre. A kachha bigha is a smaller customary bigha used in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. In Uttar Pradesh it is one third of a pucca bigha, about 9,075 square feet, while in Rajasthan it is commonly taken as 17,424 square feet.

Are these land unit values legally binding?

No. This converter uses the conventions published by state revenue departments and Indian property portals, which cover the vast majority of transactions. Local usage can still differ by a few percent between districts and even between villages, so always confirm the figure on your sale deed or with the local revenue office before signing anything.

Additional Resources

• Bigha - Wikipedia
• Indian Units of Measurement - Wikipedia