The measurement of land in Punjab, India is an important aspect of agriculture and land management in the region. Punjab has a unique system of measuring land, typically done in units of bigha and acre. The measurements can vary slightly depending on the specific region and local customs.
The following are the basic measurements of land used in the Punjab region, divided between Indian and Pakistani Punjab and many parts of North India and Pakistan in ascending order. The measurement system is covered in detail in Punjab Weight and Measurement Act 1976.[1]
In 2016, the Government of Punjab, Pakistan started using drones for the measurement of land.[2]
A commonly used land measurement unit in Punjab is karam or square karam.[3] Other units include the Sarsai and units listed.[4] This the current system of measurement of farm land.
All Units
1 karam × 1 karam = 1 sq. karam
5.5 feet × 5.5 feet = 30.25 sq. feet
30.25 square feet = 1 Sarsai
9 Sarsai (sq. Karam) = 1 Marla (30.25 sq. yard)
36 Sarsai (sq. Karam) = 1 Biswa (121 sq. yard)
4 Marla = 1 Biswa
20 Marla = 1 Kanal (605 sq. yard)
20 Biswa = 1 Bigha (2,420 sq. yard)
4 Kanal = 1 Bigha
8 Kanal = 1 Killa = 1 Acre (4,840 sq. yard)
2 Bigha = 1 Killa
2.5 Killa (Acre) = 1 Hectare (10,000 sq. metre)
25 Killa = 10 Hectare = 1 Murabba
A killa or acre is measured rectangularly, reckoned as an area 36 karams (198 ft) x 40 karams (220 ft) (43,560 square ft). 1 /5th of a killa or acre is known as bigha
Following are the current units of measurement in Sindh residential as well as open / agricultural land.
Kothis (residential homes) and havelis (traditional mansions) are measured in marlas and kanaals.[5][6] Most are two to four kanaals but the big ones can be anything from four to six kanaals.
Following are the current units of measurement as per HALRIS.[7] Different areas have different size of Bigha,[7] hence this system is no longer used since 1957 when it was replaced by the standardised Acre-Kanal-Marla based meter system.
Acre-Kanal-Marla system (currently used, standardised metre system)
Bigha-Biswa system conversion to current Acre system
Killa-Biswa-Bigha system (old system, no longer used since 1957)
This measure was used in the revenue settlement of the districts of Delhi, Hisar, Rohtak, Ambala, Karnal, Fazilka, Ferozepur and Ludhiana during British Raj. This is now not used.
These are now outdated and have been standardised as above after the consolidation of land in Haryana and Punjab post-independence.
In all areas settled and consolidated on the basis of the standard measure of 66 inches i.e. Karam or Gatha:
These areas have been all consolidated as per the standard system now. These are older measurements from during the British Raj prior to these areas were consolidated. In the areas consolidated on the basis of the local measUte and the non-consolidated areas of Amritsar, Gurdaspur, (except Shahpur Hill Circle and Chak Andar in Pathankot tehsil), Ferozepur (except Fazilka) and the erstwhile princely State of Faridkot. Also applicable for Lahore (Pakistan):
In the areas consolidated on the basis of the local measure and the non-consolidated areas of Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Anandpur Sahib (Ropar) and the Shahpur hill Circle in Gurdaspur District during the British Raj.
In the area consolidated on the basis of the local measure and the non-consolidated areas of the erstwhile princely State of Kapurthala:
1 Karam or Gat ha x 1 Karam or Gatha 1 Sq. Karam or Biswansi 20 Biswansis 1 Biswa 20 Biswa 1 Satty 2
| Sq feet | Sq gaz | Sq metre | Karams | Marla | Kanaal | Killa | Begha | Muraba |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 272.25 | 30.25 | 25.293 | 9 | 1 | 0.05 | 0.00625 | 0.0005 | 0.00025 |
| 5445 | 605 | 505.86 | 180 | 20 | 1 | 0.125 | 0.01 | 0.005 |
| 43560 | 4840 | 4046.88 | 1440 | 160 | 8 | 1 | 0.08 | 0.04 |
| 544500 | 60500 | 50586 | 18000 | 2000 | 100 | 12.5 | 1 | 0.5 |
| 1089000 | 121000 | 101172 | 36000 | 4000 | 200 | 25 | 2 | 1 |
For Agricultural Land