Land measurement units in West Bengal
The number that matters in West Bengal is 720: one katha is 720 square feet there, against 1,361.25 in Bihar and Jharkhand. Use a Bihar figure on a Bengal plot and you overstate it by nearly ninety per cent. Locally a bigha is 20 katha, so 14,400 square feet, and a katha divides into 16 chatak of 45 square feet each.
The local values
| Unit in West Bengal | Square feet | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Chatak | 45 | 1/16 of a katha |
| 1 Katha | 720 | the local value, not 1,361 |
| 1 Bigha | 14,400 | 20 katha — the local value |
| 1 Decimal | 435.6 | same everywhere |
| 1 Acre | 43,560 | same everywhere |
So an acre comes to about 60.5 katha locally, and a bigha to just under a third of an acre. Decimal is often used alongside katha in Bengal records and is the easier of the two to convert, because it does not change by region.
The mistake to avoid
Most general converters use a single katha value, usually the Bihar one of 1,361.25 square feet. Applied to a West Bengal plot that makes it look almost twice its real size, which is a serious error on anything being bought or sold.
Check which value a document is using before converting, and if you are dealing across state lines, confirm it against the local revenue record rather than a converter default.
Common questions
How many square feet is 1 katha in West Bengal?
720 square feet. This is lower than the 1,361.25 used in Bihar and Jharkhand, which is the single most common source of error when converting Bengal land figures.
How many katha make a bigha in West Bengal?
20 katha, which comes to 14,400 square feet.
How many katha are in an acre in West Bengal?
About 60.5, since an acre is 43,560 square feet and a local katha is 720.