How big is a bigha?
There is no single answer, and that is the answer. A bigha is a local unit whose size differs by state: 27,225 square feet as the standard pucca bigha, 27,000 in Uttar Pradesh, 17,424 in Gujarat, 14,400 in West Bengal, 12,000 in Madhya Pradesh and as little as 6,804 in Uttarakhand. The largest is four times the smallest, so before you convert a bigha figure, find out which one is meant.
What one bigha comes to
Taking the standard pucca bigha of 27,225 square feet, the common conversions work out exactly:
| 1 standard pucca bigha | equals |
|---|---|
| Square feet | 27,225 |
| Guntha | 25 |
| Gaj (square yards) | 3,025 |
| Acre | 0.625 — five eighths |
| Kanal | 5 |
| Biswa | 20 |
Only for a 27,225 sq ft bigha
The guntha figure is the one people search for most: 27,225 ÷ 1,089 = 25 exactly. But it only holds for a 27,225 square-foot bigha. On a Madhya Pradesh bigha of about 12,000 square feet the same sum gives roughly 11 guntha, not 25.
Why it varies at all
The bigha predates metric standardisation and was never unified. Each region kept its own, and revenue records still use the local value. "Pucca" and "kachha" bighas exist side by side in parts of Rajasthan, differing by roughly a third.
Practically, this means a bigha is only meaningful with a place attached. A deed, a revenue record or a broker will be using one specific local value, and that is the one to convert with — not a figure from a general-purpose converter that picked a national average.
- Standard (Pucca)27,225 sq ft
- Rajasthan (Pucca)27,225 sq ft
- Bihar27,225 sq ft
- Uttar Pradesh27,000 sq ft
- Rajasthan (Kachha)17,424 sq ft
- Gujarat17,424 sq ft
- West Bengal14,400 sq ft
- Assam14,400 sq ft
- Madhya Pradesh12,000 sq ft
- Punjab / Haryana9,070 sq ft
- Himachal Pradesh8,712 sq ft
- Uttarakhand6,804 sq ft
Common questions
1 bigha is equal to how many guntha?
For a standard pucca bigha of 27,225 square feet, exactly 25 guntha, because a guntha is 1,089 square feet. On a smaller regional bigha the answer is smaller — a Madhya Pradesh bigha of about 12,000 square feet is roughly 11 guntha.
How many square feet is 1 bigha?
It depends on the state. 27,225 square feet for the standard pucca bigha, 27,000 in Uttar Pradesh, 17,424 in Gujarat, 14,400 in West Bengal, 12,000 in Madhya Pradesh, 9,070 in Punjab and Haryana, and 6,804 in Uttarakhand.
How many bigha in 1 acre?
Using the standard pucca bigha, 1.6 bigha — since an acre is 43,560 square feet and that bigha is 27,225. The figure changes with the regional bigha you are using.