Land Measurement in West Bengal: Bigha, Katha, Chatak and Satak

Land measurement in West Bengal uses bigha, katha and chatak, and the good news is that the sizes are uniform across the state. 1 bigha is 14,400 sq ft, 1 katha is 720 sq ft and 1 chatak is 45 sq ft. Land records use acre and decimal, which Bengali speakers call satak (শতক).

Units used in West Bengal

These values are commonly used across Kolkata and rural Bengal. Several secondary sources agree on them, but we did not reach an official state page that states them.

The chain of units

• 1 bigha = 20 katha
• 1 katha = 16 chatak
• 1 bigha = 320 chatak = 14,400 sq ft
• 1 acre = 100 decimal (satak)
• 1 acre = 3.025 bigha = 60.5 katha

People often call a bigha one third of an acre. That is close but not exact: 3 bigha is 43,200 sq ft, while an acre is 43,560 sq ft.

Katha, satak and bigha: quick conversions

Worked example: dividing a bigha among family members

Say three heirs share 1 bigha equally. Each share is 4,800 sq ft. In local units that is about 6.67 katha, which is 6 katha and about 10.67 chatak. In record units each share is about 11.02 decimal. Writing the share as 6 katha and 10.67 chatak (rounded) in the deed and checking it against the decimal figure keeps both papers in agreement.

Official records unit and portal

Land records are on Banglarbhumi, run by the Land and Land Reforms Department. The khatian (record of rights) shows area in acre and decimal. Registration forms also accept bigha, katha, chatak and square feet, so a deed may use one unit and the khatian another.

To read a khatian, convert decimals first. For example, 5 decimal is 2,178 sq ft. Divide by 720 and you get 3.025 katha. So a 5 satak plot is a little over 3 katha.

How to work out land size

1. Measure length and breadth in feet and multiply them.
2. Divide by 720 for katha, by 45 for chatak or by 435.6 for satak.
3. For bigha, divide by 14,400.

Example: a plot of 40 ft by 36 ft is 1,440 sq ft. That is exactly 2 katha, or 32 chatak, or about 3.31 satak. For uneven plots, use the land area calculator.

Common mistakes

• Using a Bihar or Assam katha. The Bengal katha is the smallest of these. An Assam katha in the Brahmaputra valley is four times bigger, and Bihar katha sizes change by district.
• Calling satak and katha the same. 1 katha is about 1.65 satak, not 1.
• Trusting a different Kolkata katha. One website claims a katha of 360 sq ft in Kolkata, but its own figures do not add up and no other source supports it. The commonly used value is 720 sq ft.
• Mixing up deed and khatian units. Convert both to square feet before you compare them.

Some districts also use older local units such as kani or gonda. We did not research those, so ask the local office if your papers show them. For a sale, partition or court matter, confirm the unit with the amin or the local land and land reforms office and check the khatian on Banglarbhumi. Our katha to square feet and satak to katha pages do these sums for any value.