Bigha Size by State: Comparison Table (2026)

Why the bigha has no single size

The bigha is a traditional land unit, not a metric unit. It grew out of local revenue and survey practice under earlier rulers and then under the British land revenue system, and each region fixed its own yard, rod or pace and its own bigha. Later states kept the unit in their revenue records, so the number printed as bigha in a record depends on where the land sits and often on how old the settlement was.

That is why a flat statement such as "1 bigha equals a given number of square feet" is unsafe for a purchase. Broker sheets and calculators often publish a single figure or a range. We do not use them as a source on this page. For the principles of converting, see our general guide on land measurement units in India and the conversion walkthrough in bigha to square yard, acre and hectare.

Comparison table by state

Read the table as a map of where to look, not as a conversion chart. The right-hand column of confirmed values is empty on purpose. We would rather leave a cell open than print a number we cannot trace to a revenue department, an Act or a gazette notification.

What we can say with confidence

Three things hold across states. First, a bigha is made of smaller local units, commonly called biswa (बिस्वा) and in some places biswansi, kachha and pucca variants, and the number of those sub-units in a bigha is also local. Second, a bigha is always a unit of area, never of length. Third, the only safe size of a bigha is the one defined in the same record, deed or survey that uses it.

Fixed units help when you need to cross-check. One acre is 4,840 square yards or 43,560 square feet, and one hectare is 2.471 acres. If a record gives the area both in bigha and in hectare or square metre, divide one by the other to learn what the record means by a bigha on that plot. That ratio is a valid reading for that record only. Do not carry it to the next village.

How to read the bigha in your record

1. Find the area column in the jamabandi, khatauni or fard and note the unit printed beside the number.
2. If the record gives a second column in hectare, are or square metre, use that as the legal area and treat the bigha figure as a local description.
3. Ask the patwari or lekhpal, or the revenue office, which bigha the village uses and ask for it in writing.
4. Compare the area with the sale deed and the survey map. See how to verify land title.
5. Have the plot measured on site by a licensed surveyor before you pay the main amount.

How the bigha size changes the price you pay

A small difference in the meaning of a bigha becomes a large difference in money. If one seller means a larger bigha and another a smaller one, the same headline rate per bigha hides a gap in the real rate per acre. The gap grows with the size of the plot, so a buyer of several bigha is most exposed.

The remedy is to turn every offer into one common unit. Square yard (gaj) or acre works because both are fixed. Our guide on circle rate versus market rate shows why official rates are also quoted in fixed units. For a plain look at gaj, square yard and square foot, read Gaj vs square yard vs square foot.

Red flags on bigha quotes

• A broker states one bigha figure for a whole state or for "North India".
• The advertisement gives bigha only, with no square yard or acre equivalent.
• The deed uses bigha and the survey map uses hectare, and nobody can explain the ratio.
• The seller says "pucca" or "kachha" bigha without writing which one the deed uses.
• The area in the record does not match the area marked on the ground.

Any one of these is a reason to pause the payment schedule and ask for a written clarification.

Buyer checklist before agreeing the area

• Take a copy of the latest record (jamabandi, khatauni or fard) and note the area in every unit shown.
• Ask for the unit definition as used in that village, in writing, from the revenue office.
• Convert the offer to a rate per square yard and per acre.
• Commission an independent measurement of the plot.
• Write the area in a fixed unit (square metre or acre) in the agreement to sell and the sale deed, along with the local unit. See sale deed guide and land due diligence checklist.

How a bigha record can change over time

Even within one village, the same land can be described differently across generations of records. An older settlement record may use a bigha defined at the time of survey, while a later consolidation or re-survey may express the same land in hectare. When you trace a plot back through old mutations, expect the unit to change and expect the number to change with it. A mismatch of this kind is not by itself a sign of fraud, but it is a reason to ask for a reconciliation in writing. The mutation history is covered in mutation (dakhil kharij) guide.

Likewise, partition within a family often divides a bigha into biswa and sub-units, so the area of a share can look odd when stated in local units. Convert every share to square metres before you judge whether the sum adds up to the parent holding.

What we could not confirm

We could not confirm an official bigha value for any state in this table during this review, and the page is therefore marked DRAFT. State revenue manuals, survey settlement reports and tehsil records are the places where an official value would sit. If you hold one, share it with us and we will add it with the source. Until then, rely on the definition printed in your own record.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• Fixed conversions on this page (1 acre = 4,840 sq yd = 43,560 sq ft; 1 sq yd = 9 sq ft; 1 hectare = 2.471 acre) follow from standard definitions of the acre, yard and hectare.
• We could not open an official revenue department page, Act or gazette giving a bigha, biswa or killa value for the states named here during this review, so no local-unit value is stated as official. Read the definition in your own record.