Land in Assam is still measured in bigha, katha and lessa, even though official records also use square feet, square metres and hectares. If you are buying a plot, reading a jamabandi or a Dharitree record, or dividing family land, you will meet both systems. This guide explains how they fit together.
The basic relationship
- 1 bigha = 5 katha
- 1 katha = 20 lessa
- 1 bigha = 100 lessa
In Assam, one lessa is taken as 144 square feet (a 12 ft × 12 ft square). Everything else follows from that:
| Unit | Square feet | Square metres (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 lessa | 144 | 13.38 |
| 1 katha | 2,880 | 267.56 |
| 1 bigha | 14,400 | 1,337.8 |
Converting to acres and hectares
One acre is 43,560 sq ft, so 1 acre ≈ 3.025 bigha, or 3 bigha and 2.5 lessa. One hectare is about 107,639 sq ft, so 1 hectare ≈ 7.47 bigha, and 1 bigha ≈ 0.134 hectare.
Worked example
Suppose a record shows 2 bigha 3 katha 12 lessa. Convert everything to lessa first: 2 × 100 + 3 × 20 + 12 = 272 lessa. Multiply by 144 to get 39,168 sq ft, which is about 3,639 m² or 0.364 hectare.
Going the other way, a 60 ft × 40 ft plot is 2,400 sq ft. Divide by 144 to get 16.67 lessa, that is 16 lessa and a bit over half a lessa, a little under one katha.
Things to watch out for
- Bigha sizes differ between states. A bigha in West Bengal, Bihar or Uttar Pradesh is not the same as an Assam bigha, so never mix conversions from other states.
- Irregular plots should be measured as triangles or split into rectangles. Our Assam area tool handles this from side lengths.
- For legal transactions, always rely on the figure in the official land record and a licensed surveyor.