Land UnitsRajasthan is the clearest example of why "bigha" needs a second word. The Government of India land records data standard lists two bighas for the state, each made with a different chain.
Shahjahani jarib: the large bigha
The Shahjahani jarib is 165 feet long. One bigha is one jarib by one jarib: 165 × 165 = 27,225 square feet. The standard gives it as 0.253 hectare. It is 0.625 acre, so 1.6 of these make an acre.
Gantari jarib: the small bigha
The Gantari jarib is 132 feet long, which is two surveyor's chains of 66 feet. One bigha is 132 × 132 = 17,424 square feet, given as 0.16 hectare. It is exactly 0.4 acre, so 2.5 of these make an acre.
Which one is mine?
It depends on which chain was used when your village was surveyed. The two differ by more than half, so guessing is costly. The jamabandi of the village, or the patwari, will tell you which jarib applies. A bigha is divided into 20 biswa; the standard's table calls the twentieth part a biswansi for Rajasthan.
Side by side
Ten large bigha are 6.25 acres. Ten small bigha are 4 acres. A price "per bigha" means nothing until you know which bigha.
For a sale, a loan or a court paper, go by your own revenue record. Local units can differ between districts and between old and new records. The sizes here were read in the official documents named under Sources on 11 November 2026. This site is not a government site and gives no legal advice.
Questions people ask
What is 1 bigha (165 ft jarib) in square feet?
1 bigha (165 ft jarib) is 27,225 square feet (3,025 square yards). Source: the Government of India land records data standard.
What is 1 bigha (132 ft jarib) in square feet?
1 bigha (132 ft jarib) is 17,424 square feet (1,936 square yards). Source: the Government of India land records data standard.
Sources
- Meta Data and Data Standards (MDDS), Annexure IV, code directory CD00.01 Measurement units, Table 1.3 Conversion Factors. Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India; the table credits the Department of Land Resources. Open the document