A number of different

units of measurement A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same kind of quantity. Any other quantity of that kind can be expressed as a multi ...

were used in Sri Lanka to measure quantities like length,

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...

and capacity from very ancient times. Under the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

imperial units The imperial system of units, imperial system or imperial units (also known as British Imperial or Exchequer Standards of 1826) is the system of units first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act 1824 and continued to be developed th ...

became the official units of measurement and remained so until Sri Lanka adopted the

metric system The metric system is a system of measurement that succeeded the decimalised system based on the metre that had been introduced in France in the 1790s. The historical development of these systems culminated in the definition of the Interna ...

in the 1970s.

Traditional units

Various units were used in Sri Lanka at different times and some only in certain regions. Some of these remained in use well into the colonial period. The following is only a partial list.

Length

One cubit was equal to 0.464 m (18.5 in). The Bam̆ba (Fathom), still in use as of 2016, is the distance between a man's outstretched arms. It is roughly 6 feet in length. "Bam̆ba" is usually used to measure depth in wells and pits. Units used in measuring long distances included the "Gavuva", "Yoduna", and "Usaba" (plurals Gavu and Yodun - a Yoduna was 4 Gavu) and the "hoo kiyana dura", which was the audible distance of a shout of 'hoo' by a person. Base of these system of measuring length was the human body. * වියත ( Viyatha = Span ) Length of a spread hand * රියන ( Riyana = Cubit ) Length from the elbow to middle finger * බඹ (Bamba = Fathom ) Length of two hands spread King Nisshankamalla have established milestones called "Gaavutha Kanu" from a Gavu to another. Two of such have been found in Katugahagalge and Valigaththa in Southern Province. The smallest unit was known as "Paramaanuwa", which was equal to (). A typical

span Span may refer to: Science, technology and engineering * Span (unit), the width of a human hand * Span (engineering), a section between two intermediate supports * Wingspan, the distance between the wingtips of a bird or aircraft * Sorbitan ester ...

was taken roughly equal to 22.86 cm (9 in). These small units of measurement were used in making of statues and buildings. Following are the relationships between the units used in ancient times. {, class="wikitable" , +Sri Lankan Ancient Units of Length !Smaller Unit != !Large Unit !Approximately Equivalent Metric amount , - , , , 1 Paramaanuwa , mm ( in) , - , 36 Paramaanu , = , 1 Anu , mm ( in) , - , 36 Anu , = , 1 Thajjaari , mm ( in) , - , 36 Thajjaari , = , 1 Ratharenu , 0.00154 mm ( in) , - , 36 Ratharenu , = , 1 Likkha , 0.05554 mm (0.00219 in) , - , 7 Likkha , = , 1 Ukha , 0.38878 mm (0.01531 in) , - , 7 Ukha , = , 1 Dhannamaasa , 2.72143 mm (0.10714 in) , - , 7 Dhannamaasa , = , 1 Aangula , 19.05 mm (0.75 in) , - , 7 Aangula , = , 1 Viyatha (Span) , 228.6 mm (9 in) , - , 2 Viyatha , = , 1 Riyana (cubit) , 457.2 mm (18 in) , - , 7 Riyana , = , 1 Yatthi , 3200.4 mm, 3.2004 m (126 in, 10.5 ft) , - , 4 Yatthi , = , 1 Abbhantara , 12.8 m {42 ft) , - , 5 Abbhantara , = , 1 Usabha , 64 m (210 ft) , - , 10 Usabha , = , 1 Gavuva , 640 m (2100 ft) , - , 4 Gavuva , = , 1 Yoduna , 2560 m (8400 ft)

Area

Measurements of area used in ancient Sri Lanka was a system derived from paddy agriculture. Area was often measured in terms of the land that could be sown with a specific amount of seed or rice, including the Pǣla, Amuna, Kiriya (4 amunas), and the Riyana. In one region, a Kiriya was about 8 acres. Following are relationships between some typical measures of area. {, class="wikitable" , +Sri Lankan Ancient units of Area !Smaller Unit != !Larger Unit !Approximately Equivalent Metric amount , - , , , 1 Laaha , 4.59870 m² (0.00114 acres) , - , 40 Laaha , = , 1 Pǣla , 183.94802 m² (0.045455 acres) , - , 12 Pǣla , = , 12 Kuruni , 2207.37623 m² (0.54545 acres) , - , 44 Kuruni , = , 1 Amuna , 8093.71 m² (2 acres) , - , 1 Amuna , = , 25 Kareesa , 3237.49 m² (0.8 acres) , - , 4 Amuna , = , 1 Kiriya , 32374.9 m² (8 acres) In a stone inscription written by King Bhathikabhaya Abhaya at Dunumadalakanda in Anuradhapura District, it is stated that he offered a land of 1 Kareesa to a temple in the area. In another stone inscription written by King Kutakannabhaya Thissa at Horiwila in Anuradhapura District, it is stated that he offered a land of 8 Kareesa to a temple named 'Thissa' in the area. James Prinsep, writing in 1840, stated that "at ... Ceylon ... English measures only are used, or at least a

cubit The cubit is an ancient unit of length based on the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. It was primarily associated with the Sumerians, Egyptians, and Israelites. The term ''cubit'' is found in the Bible regarding ...

based on the English measure of 18 inches."

Weight

One candy, or one bahar, was equal to 226.8 kg, or 500 lbs, or according to ''The Indian Trader's Guide'' 480 Dutch pounds or 520 pounds Avoirdupois. Small weights could be measured in seeds, such as the Thala ( Sesame), Amu, Vee (

Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

) (3 Amu), Madati (8 Vee), Majadi, Maditi, Kalanda, and Manjadi. In ancient times, there have been an accurate system to measure weights. Following are some such weight measuring units used. Units like Madati ( ''Adenanthera pavonina'' ), Vee (Rice) are based on weights of those seeds. It is stated that frauds in weighing was a punishable offence and only weights approved by the government should be used in weighing, in Sorabora Wewa Pillar Inscription (

Badulla Pillar Inscription Badulla Pillar Inscription ( si, බදුලු ටැම් ලිපිය) is an archaeological stone inscription, which is currently located at the Senarath Paranavithana Memorial Library of Badulla, Sri Lanka. The inscription is engraved ...

) which was written by King Udaya IV. {, class="wikitable" , +Sri Lankan Ancient Units of Weight !Smaller Unit != !Larger Unit , - , 4 Veeha , = , 1 Gunja , - , 2 Gunja , = , 1 Maasaka , - , Maasaka , = , 1 Aka , - , 8 Aka , = , 1 Dharana , - , 5 Dharana , = , 1 Swarna , - , 2 Swarna , = , 1 Pala

Capacity

Different units were used for liquid and dry capacity.

Liquid

One

seer In the United States, the efficiency of air conditioners is often rated by the seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) which is defined by the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, a trade association, in its 2008 standard AHR ...

was equal to 1.2 quarts and one parrah was equal to 6.75 gallons. Another source suggests that a seer was equal to 1.86 imperial pints or 1.06 litres. These were mostly introduced in the period which coastal areas were governed by Portuguese and Dutch.

Dry

Units to measure dry capacities were mainly used in agriculture. Some of them are as following: {, class="wikitable" , +Sri Lankan Ancient Units of Dry Capacity !Smaller Unit != !Large Unit , - , 2 Patha / Koththu / Hundu , = , 1 Mana , - , 2 Mana , = , 1 Seru , - , 1 Seru , = , 1 Bandara Naliya (Royally accepted base unit) / 1 Naliya , - , 2 Seru , = , 1 Serika , - , 2 Serika , = , 1 Laha / Yala / Kuruni * , - , 2 Laha / Yala / Kuruni * , = , 1 Marikkala , - , 2 Marikkala , = , 1 Thimba , - , 2 Thimba , = , 1 Busala , - , 5 Laha / Yala / Kuruni * , = , 1 Bera , - , 2 Bera , = , 1 Pala , - , 4 Pala , = , 1 Amuna * capacity of Kuruni varies from area to area One ammonam was equal to 203.4 L. One parrah = ammonam, one

= ammonam and the chundoo was equal to nearly half a pint. Maccauly stated in 1818 that to the north of Colombo an ''Ammonam'' contained 16 ''Parahs'', and ''Ammonams'' equalled one ''Acre'', but that to the south there were 8 ''Parahs'' to the ''Ammonam''. He describes the ''Parah'' as a measure 16.7 inches wide and 5.6 inches deep. Montgomery, writing in 1835, described the interior measurement of a ''Parrah'' as a perfect cube of 11.571 inches, and the seer as a cylinder of depth 4.35 inches and diameter 4.35 inches.

References

{{systems of measurement Sri Lankan culture Sri Lanka