Land Measurement Units in India: Bigha, Biswa, Acre & Guntha Explained
Why Land Units Vary by State
India never adopted a single unit for land measurement. Acre and hectare are standardised internationally, but traditional units like bigha, biswa, killa and guntha were codified separately by colonial-era and princely-state revenue departments — which is why the same word can mean a different area depending on which side of a state border you're standing on.
Land Unit Converter
Bigha by State — Quick Reference
| State | 1 Bigha (sq ft) | 1 Bigha (acre) | Bighas per Acre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh (Pucca) | 27,225 | ≈0.625 | ≈1.6 |
| Rajasthan (Pucca) | 27,225 | ≈0.625 | ≈1.6 |
| Haryana | ≈9,070 | ≈0.208 | ≈4.8 |
| Punjab | 9,070 | ≈0.208 | ≈4.8 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 8,712 | ≈0.2 | 5 |
| Uttarakhand (Hill) | 6,806 | ≈0.156 | ≈6.4 |
Guntha, Killa & Biswa — The Sub-Units
A guntha is a fixed, standardised sub-unit equal to 1/40th of an acre (1,089 sq ft), commonly used in Maharashtra and parts of Karnataka. A killa, used mainly in Punjab and Haryana, is treated as functionally equivalent to one acre in most revenue records. Biswa is always a fraction of bigha — 20 biswa make one bigha in every state that uses the term, which is why biswa inherits all of bigha's regional variation.