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Land units decoded

Kanal, marla, biswa and bigha, and how their size changes from state to state. With a converter. Updated 14 October 2026.

The short answer

1. Kanal and marla are the same almost everywhere in the North. 1 marla = 272.25 sq ft, 20 marla = 1 kanal = 5,445 sq ft, and 8 kanal = 1 acre. This holds in J&K, Ladakh, Himachal, Punjab and Haryana revenue records. ^1,2,3
2. Watch for the small marla. Some dealers and older records use a marla of 25 gaj (225 sq ft). On a 10-marla plot that is a 472 sq ft gap. Always ask which marla is meant. ^4,11
3. The bigha has no single size. A Himachal bigha is 8,712 sq ft. In Punjab and Haryana you will hear 9,075, 21,780 and 27,225 sq ft, sometimes in the same district. Never agree a price per bigha until you have converted it to square feet or acres from the record itself. ^5,6,7

The kanal–marla family

These units grew out of the karam, the Patwari's measuring pace of 5.5 feet. Square a karam and you get a sarsai. Nine sarsai make a marla, which is why a standard marla is an odd-looking 272.25 sq ft. ⁴

Why some marlas are 225 sq ft

The karam was not always 5.5 feet. Old settlements in Amritsar, most of Gurdaspur, Ferozepur and Faridkot used a 60-inch karam, which gives a marla of 25 gaj (225 sq ft) and a kanal of 500 gaj. Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar and Kapurthala used shorter karams still. ⁴ In Mohali and parts of urban Punjab, dealers still quote plots in 25-gaj marlas. ¹¹ Some pockets of Jammu division have also used a 225 sq ft marla in the past. ¹

So a “10 marla” plot can mean 2,722 sq ft or 2,250 sq ft. Ask for the area in square feet, and check it against the record.

The bigha problem

A bigha is split into 20 biswa, and a biswa into 20 biswansi. That part is the same everywhere. The size of the bigha itself is not. ⁵

The gap is large. “2 bigha” could be 17,424 sq ft in Himachal or 54,450 sq ft as a pucca bigha: more than three times the land. When someone quotes bighas, ask which bigha, then convert it to square feet or acres before you discuss price.

In Jammu & Kashmir, bigha and biswa are not part of the official system. Where people use them informally in rural Jammu, the size isn't fixed, so go by the kanal–marla figure in the jamabandi. ¹

Region by region

Jammu & Kashmir

Records use kanal and marla at 5,445 and 272.25 sq ft. Check for the older 225 sq ft marla in parts of Jammu division. ¹

Ladakh

Same kanal–marla system as J&K. The land area column in the record shows kanal, marla or acres. ^9,10

Himachal Pradesh

Two systems sit side by side. Rural records often use bigha–biswa–biswansi (1 bigha = 8,712 sq ft), while kanal–marla is common in towns and in many newer records. ^3,6 Local variations are reported in Chamba and Lahaul & Spiti, so confirm with the Patwari there. ⁶

Punjab

Mostly kanal–marla, with the acre (killa) for farmland. Some villages, including around Mohali and Kharar, still record land in bigha–biswa. Older settlement districts may use a smaller marla. ^4,7

Haryana

Kanal–marla in most districts, with bigha–biswa in others. Both the record bigha (9,075 sq ft) and the pucca bigha (27,225 sq ft) are in use, so check the jamabandi on HALRIS before you rely on any figure. ^2,7,12

Chandigarh

Sector plots are sold in square yards (gaj) or square feet. Kanal and marla turn up in conversation, and in the peripheral villages and Mohali next door, so check which marla is meant. ¹¹

How area is written in the record

A jamabandi rarely writes “2.5 kanal”. It gives each unit in its own place, largest first. In kanal–marla areas you will see something like 2-10 or 2K-10M, meaning 2 kanal 10 marla (13,612.5 sq ft). In bigha–biswa areas, 3-12-5 means 3 bigha 12 biswa 5 biswansi. Read the column heading on the copy to know which system is used, and type each part into the converter separately if you need to.

Five checks before you agree a price

1. Get the area from the jamabandi or fard, not from the seller's word or a dealer's brochure.
2. Ask which marla or bigha is meant, and write the area in square feet in the agreement next to the local unit.
3. Match the deed to the record. The area in the sale deed should match the khasra numbers and area in the jamabandi.
4. Measure the land. For land, ask for a demarcation (nishandehi) by revenue staff, so the area on the ground matches the paper.
5. Price in one unit. When comparing offers, convert every one to price per square foot or per acre first.

For more on reading the record itself, see our guide to land records and title checks.

Sources

1. 1acre: Jammu & Kashmir land units (from the Glossary of Revenue Terms, Ministry of Rural Development)
2. 1acre: Haryana land units
3. 1acre: Himachal Pradesh land units
4. Wikipedia: Measurement of land in Punjab (karam, sarsai, marla, kanal and district variants)
5. Wikipedia: Bigha
6. Bhumi Calculator: Himachal Pradesh land units
7. Address of Choice: kachha biswa and bigha, citing GMADA v. Hardip Kaur Gill, Punjab & Haryana High Court (2025)
8. Housing.com: Bigha sizes by state
9. Bhumi Calculator: Ladakh land units
10. 1acre: Revenue records in Ladakh
11. Mohali Aerotropolis: Marla in Punjab
12. India Land Converter: Biswa in Gurugram

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