Lecture 4

LAND MEASUREMENT UNITS USED IN INDIA & LAND AREA CALCULATION

LAND MEASUREMENT UNITS IN INDIA
• Land measurement units in India vary from state to state.

• Measurement of land in North India is done in units such as Bigha, Biswa, Marla,
Kanal, Kattha etc. whereas units used in Southern states include Ground, Cent,
Ankanam, Guntha etc.

• According to different names of units, sizes of units like Bigha, Biswa and Katha
also vary from state to state.

• There are only some units like Square meters, hectares, square feet, square
yards and acres which are commonly used all over INDIA.

• Although there is an increase in the use of standard units, local units are still used
all across India for measurement of land.
Unit of Area Conversion Unit Remarks
--------------
1 Square Feet 0.092903 sq m
1 Square Inch 0.0069444 sq ft 1 feet is 12 inches
1 Square Meter 10.76391042 sq ft Standard international unit of area to measure land.
1 Square Yard 9 sq ft. Sq yd is 9 sq ft, measured as 3ft x 3ft. Also known as ‘Gaj’ in India
1 Hectare 10000 sq m An international unit to measure land, 1 hectare is equal to 100 acres or
10,000 sq. m. or 2.47 acres approximately
1 Acre 43560 square feet
1 Acre 4840 sq yd Standard unit to measure land, used in India and internationally
1 Acre 4046.85 sq m 1 hectare is equal to 100 acres
1 Acre 40 gunta
1 Square Mile 640 acres 1 sq mile is 2.59 sq. km. or 259 hectares
1 Square Centimeters 0.00107639 sq ft 1 square meters is 10000 sq cm

1 Square Kilometer 247.1 acres Standard international unit of area to measure land. 1 sq km is 0.3861 sq
miles, 100 hectares, 247.1 acres or 1000000 sq m
1Tutorial
Gunta 1089 square feet
2 on AR 210: Building Codes and Regulations
Length Unit Equals Length Conversion Factor
1 Centimeter (cm) = 10 mm, 0.01 m
1 Feet (ft) = 12 inches, 30.48 cm
1 Gaj = 1 yd, 0.91444 m, 3 ft, 36 in
1 Chain (ch) = 66 ft, 22 yd (gaj), 100 links (kadi), 4 rods
1 Furlong = 660 ft, 220 yd, 40 rods, 10 chains
1 Gattha = 5.5 hath, 2.75 yd, 8.25 ft, 99 in
1 Hath = 0.5 yd, 18 in, 1.5 ft
1 Inch (in) = 2.54 cm, 0.0833 ft
1 Jarib (Shahjahani) = 165 ft
1 Jarib (Gantari) = 132 ft
1 Karam = 66 in, 5.5 ft
1 Kilometer (km) = 1000m, 3280.84 ft
1 Meter (m) = 100 cm, 39.3701 in, 3.28084 ft
1 Mile (mi) = 1.60934 km, 5280 ft
1 Millimeter (mm) = 0.1 cm, 0.001m
1 Perch/ Rod/Pole = 16.5 sqft, 5.5 yd
1 Yard (yd) = 1 Gaj, 3 ft, 36 in, 0.91444 m
Measurement units used in North India
Term of Unit Used Conversion Used in States Remarks
1 bigha Pucca 3025 sq yd Bihar & some parts parts of UP, Punjab, Haryana 1 pucca bigha = 165 ft x 165 ft
1 bigha 968 sq yd Bigha size used in some parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand 4-5 bigha makes up one acre
1 bigha 900 sq yd Bigha size used in some parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand
1 bigha Kachha 1008.33 sq yd Some parts of Punjab, Haryana, UP Kachha Bigha is one-third of Its where settlement is not done
Pucca Bigha
1 biswa Pucca 151.25 sq yd Its mostly used in upper parts of UP, Punjab, Haryana 1/20 bigha (pucca)
1 biswa 48.4 sq yd some parts of HP, Uttarakhand 1/20 of bigha
1 biswa 45 sq yd some parts of HP, Uttarakhand 1/20 of bigha
1 biswa (kaccha) 50.417 sq yd Lower parts of Punjab, Haryana, UP 1/20 of bigha (kaccha)
1 biswansi 1/20 biswa Used in UP, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand 1 biswa has 20 biswansis. Each state has a different
value for biswansi depending on the value of
biswa/bigha used
1 killa 4840 sq yd Used in some parts of Punjab and Haryana An acre is also known as killa
1 ghumaon 4840 sq yd in some parts of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab,and Haryana An acre is also known as ghumaon
1 kanal 5445 sq ft Unit used in Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & 8 kanals is 1 acre
Kashmir
1 sarsahi (square 30.25 sq ft Sometimes used in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana Measured as 1 karam x 1 karam (66in x 66in).
karam) 1 marla has 9 Sarsahies
1 marla 272.25 sq ft Used in Punjab and Haryana
•Bigha: Widely used in Haryana, UP, Assam, MP, Punjab, etc. the measurement can vary from state to state. Typically, 4-5 Bigha makes up one Acre.
1 gaj 9 sq.ft. Used mainly in Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana. Gaj is equivalent to a square yard

Tutorial 2 on AR 210: Building Codes and Regulations

LAND MEASUREMENT UNITS USED IN EAST INDIA
Term of Unit Used Conversion Used in States Remarks
1 Chatak 180 sqft Used in west Bengal 1 katha (Bengal) is equal to 16 chataks
1 decimal 48.4 sqyd Unit used in west bengal 1 acre is equal to 100 decimals
1 dhur 68.0625 sqft Bihar / Jharkhand 1 kattha (bihar) has 20 dhurs
1 dhur 3.6 sqft Unit used in Tripura 20 Dhurs (Tripura) is equal to 1 kranta
1 kattha 2880 sqft Used in assam 1 Bigha (assam) is 5 katthas
1 kattha 720 sqft Used in Bengal 1 Bigha (Bengal) has 20 kathas
1 kattha 1361.25 sqft Used in Bihar 1 Bigha (Bihar) has 20 kathas
1 lecha 144 sqft Unit used in Assam 20 Lechas is 1 Kattha

Dhur: Used in UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Tripura, Dhur denotes varying sizes depending on the specific state.
Kattha: Used in Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, and Madhya Pradesh; the value of Kattha varies from state to state

Tutorial 2 on AR 210: Building Codes and Regulations

MEASUREMENT UNITS USED IN SOUTH INDIA
Term of Unit Used Conversion Used in States Remarks

1 Ankanam 72 sq.ft Used in parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka 1 acre is equal to 605 Ankanams

1 Bigha 1600 sq.yd In Assam and Bengal

1 Cent 435.6 sq.ft Used in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka 1 acre is equal to 100 cents

1 Ground 2400 sq.ft Parts of Tamil Nadu

1 Guntha 1089 sq.ft Used in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka & Measured as 33ft x 33ft.
Maharastra 40 Gunthas equal 1 Acre

1 Kuncham 484 sq.yd Used in Andhra Pradesh 1 Kuncham is equal to 10 cents

Tutorial 2 on AR 210: Building Codes and Regulations

MEASUREMENT UNITS USED IN CENTRAL INDIA

Term of Unit Used Conversion Used in States Remarks

1 Bigha 1333.33 sq.yd Bigha size used in parts of Madhya Pradesh

1 kattha 600 sqft Unit used in MP 1 Bigha (MP) has 20 Kathas

MEASUREMENT UNITS USED IN WEST INDIA

Term of Unit Used Conversion Used in States Remarks
1 Bigha Pucca 3025 sq yd Bihar & some parts of Rajasthan 1 pucca bigha = 165 ft x 165 ft
1 Bigha 1936 sq yd Bigha size used in Gujarat and some parts of 1 bigha = 132 ft x 132 ft
Rajasthan
1 Biswa Pucca 151.25 sq yd Its mostly used in upper parts of Rajasthan 1/20 Bigha (Pucca)
1 Biswa 96.8 sq yd Lower parts of Rajasthan 1/20 of Bigha
1 Biswansi 1/20 Biswa Used in Rajasthan 1 Biswa has 20 Biswansis each state has
Calculation of Land Area / Plot Area
Area of square = (side) ²

OR Area of rectangle = length x breadth

Area of square = a x a OR

OR Area of rectangle = a x b

Area of square = a²
Area of right triangle = ½ (length x breadth) Area of Scalene Triangle = s(s-a) (s-b) (s-c)

OR a+b+c
S = --------
Area of right triangle = ½ (area of rectangle) 2
Where
a, b, c are the sides of triangle
Area of Equilateral Triangle = ½ (side x height)

OR

Area of Equilateral Triangle = 0.433 (side) ²

Area of Circle = A = π r²

OR Area of regular polygon = ½ (perimeter) (perpendicular)

Area of Circle = A = π D² / 4 Where
Where Perimeter = sum of sides
D = Diameter of circle Perpendicular = distance b/w edge centre and polygon's center
R = Radius of circle
Incorrect area calculation:-

Area of the whole shape or property:

(A+C) (B+D)
Area = ---------- X ---------
2 2

(63’3”+ 58’) (55’ + 77’)

Area = ------------------ X --------------
2 2

(63.25 + 58) (55 + 77)

Area = ------------------ X --------------
2 2

Area = 60.625 x 66

Area = 4001.25 ft2

Here we will compare two methods of area determination
Correct area calculation:-
Area of the whole shape or property:

Area 1 = s(s-a) (s-b) (s-c)

a+b+c 55+63.25+75
S = -------- = ------------------
2 2

S = 96.925 ft

Area 1 = 96.925 (96.925-55) (96.925-63.25) (96.925-75)

Area 1 = 1073.768 ft2

Area 1 = 1073.768 ft2

Area 2 = 2036.026 ft2

Total Area = area of triangle#1 + area of triangle#2

Total Area = Area 1 + Area 2
Total Area = 1073.768 + 2036.026
Total Area = 3739.794 ft2
(3739.8063 square ft.)
 Area by AutoCAD =
3739.8063 square ft.
(A+C) X (B+D)
Area by average formula = ---------- --------
2 2 Area of the whole shape or property:

(63.25 + 58) (55 + 77) Area by triangle formula = s(s-a) (s-b) (s-c)
Area = ------------------ X -------------- Total Area = 3739.794 ft2
2 2
Area = 60.625 x 66
Area = 4001.25 ft2
How to calculate area of plot & convert sq.ft. to sq.m.
25’

40’

40’
22’ 21’
Road Road

Length = 40’ Length = 40’

Width = 22’ Width 1 = 25’
Width 2 = 22’
Area = length x width Average width = (25’ +21’) / 2 = 46’/2 = 23’
= 40’ x 22’
= 880 sq.ft Area = length x width
= 40’ x 23’
= 920 sq.ft
convert from sq.ft. to sq.m
convert from sq.ft. to sq.m
= 880/10.76
= 81.78 sq.m = 920/10.76
= 85.80 sq.m
Khata / Khewat, Khatauni, Khasra Number
Jamabandi / Fard /ROR (Record of Rights)
Main Land Record detailing owners’ names, cultivators’ names,
Khasra Nos & area, crop details, mortgages & leases (if any)

Khasra No.
Plot No. or Survey No. given to a specific piece of land in a
village

Khata No. / Khewat No.

Account number given to a set owner(s) who own a portion of
land with various Khasra Nos.

Khatauni No.
Account number given to a set of cultivators who cultivate a
portion of land with varipus khasra Nos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M27oW03KzY
Khata / Khewat, Khatauni, Khasra Number
Owners A, B, C
Khasra No. 21, 22/1, 22/2, 23, 24, 25, 26

VILLAGE

Khata
/ 1 2 3 4 5 So on
Khewat No.
Khatauni No. 50 51

Khasra No. 21, 22/1, 22/2 23, 24, 25, 26

X, Y Self Cultivators
Cultivators

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M27oW03KzY
LAND RECORD CHECKING ONLINE
HOW TO USE LAND RECORD?
1. Online vs Physical Copy
• Online land records are only for information
purpose Tehsildar / Patwari
• Authorized copy can only be collected from
revenue department

2. Land records are helpful

• To check your name and property details
• To avoid property fraud – check true owner’s
name, exact area, type of land, any
encumbrances – loan, lease, stay order etc.

3. Once you buy land

• First get Sale Deed registered
• Then get Mutation done in your name

https://youtu.be/ZopqXpFHvjo