Land Measurement in Madhya Pradesh: Bigha, Katha and Hectare

The most quoted answer to 1 akad in bigha MP is 3.63 bigha, using the Madhya Pradesh bigha of 12,000 sq ft. But sources do not agree on one MP bigha. Other published values give 1 acre as 2.5 bigha or about 1.61 bigha. MP land records are reported to use the hectare, so the bigha is only a local, informal unit.

The bigha in Madhya Pradesh: sources differ

We found three values for the MP bigha, plus a range given by one lender. None comes from a government notification. All are commonly used or published figures.

Because the gap is so wide, a bigha count alone is not enough to know the size of land in MP. Districts in Malwa, Gwalior and Chambal, Bundelkhand and Nimar may each follow their own practice. We could not confirm a district list.

The chain of units

• With the 12,000 sq ft bigha: 1 bigha = 20 katha, and 1 katha = 600 sq ft
• With the larger bigha: 1 bigha = 20 biswa, and 1 biswa is about 125.42 sq m
• In records: 1 hectare = 100 are, and 1 are = 100 sq m
• 1 hectare = about 2.47 acre

मध्य प्रदेश में 1 बीघा में कितने आरे (are) होते हैं?

One are is 100 sq m. So the answer depends on the bigha:

• 12,000 sq ft bigha: about 11.15 are
• 17,424 sq ft bigha: about 16.19 are
• Large bigha of 2,508.38 sq m: about 25.08 are

1 बीघा में कितने फुट होते हैं (MP)?

By the most quoted value, 1 bigha is 12,000 square feet, which is about 1,333.33 gaj. By the other values it is 17,424 sq ft or about 27,000 sq ft. Ask the patwari which one your village uses.

Official records unit and portal

Land records in Madhya Pradesh are on MP Bhulekh. Secondary sources say the khasra and khatauni show area in hectare (with are and square metre for smaller parts). We could not confirm this on the portal itself, so check the unit printed in your copy.

Example: a khasra entry of 0.5 hectare is about 53,819.55 sq ft. That is about 4.48 bigha by the 12,000 sq ft value, or about 3.09 bigha by the 17,424 sq ft value. It is also about 1.24 acre. The hectare figure is the one to trust.

How to measure land on your own

1. Measure length and breadth in feet and multiply them for square feet.
2. Divide by about 107,639.1 for hectare, or by 43,560 for acre.
3. If you must use bigha, divide by the local bigha size after confirming it.

Example: a field of 200 ft by 150 ft is 30,000 sq ft. That is about 0.2787 hectare or about 0.69 acre. It is 2.5 bigha at 12,000 sq ft, but only about 1.72 bigha at 17,424 sq ft. For uneven fields, use the land area calculator.

For measurement or demarcation on the ground, contact the patwari or the tehsil office. The process and any fee are set by the revenue department, so ask there for the current steps.

Common mistakes

• Using a bigha from another state. The UP or Rajasthan pucca bigha is not the MP bigha.
• Picking one bigha value without checking. On 10 bigha, the gap between 12,000 and 17,424 sq ft is 54,240 sq ft.
• Ignoring the hectare. Always convert using the hectare figure on the khasra.

For a sale, partition or court matter, confirm the unit with the patwari or tehsil office and check the record on MP Bhulekh. Our acre to bigha and hectare to bigha converters let you choose the bigha size.