A marla is a

unit Unit may refer to: Arts and entertainment * UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' * Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation Music * ''Unit'' (a ...

area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while ''surface area'' refers to the area of an open su ...

used in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...

Description

British raj standard marla

The marla is a traditional unit of area that is used in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The marla was standardized under

British raj The British Raj (; from Hindi language, Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Q ...

to be equal to the square

rod Rod, Ror, Ród, Rőd, Rød, Röd, ROD, or R.O.D. may refer to: Devices * Birch rod, made out of twigs from birch or other trees for corporal punishment * Ceremonial rod, used to indicate a position of authority * Connecting rod, main, coupling, ...

, or 272.25 square feet, 30.25 square

yard The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly 0 ...

s, or 25.2929 square

metre The metre ( British spelling) or meter ( American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its p ...

s. As such, it was exactly one 160th of an acre.

Differing marla measurements standards in India and Pakistan

The definition of marla varies between India and Pakistan. In India, the unit was standardized to 25 square yards. Its use in India is in decline, with the guz,

square meter The square metre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures) or square meter ( American spelling) is the unit of area in the International System of Units (SI) with symbol m2. It is the area of a square ...

acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...

and

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...

being the more commonly used units. Bangladesh uses the same definition of marla as in India. In most of Pakistan, it is still equal to the British defined 30.25 sq yards, The old British definition of marla is often referred to as a "big marla" in India.

Indian marla

The units of measurement for marla in India, specially Haryana and Punjab, are:Measurement units of land used in Haryana and Punjab
Marla – 1(Karm) = 5.5 Ft – 1( Sarsahi)=5.5 Ft x 5.5 Ft = 30.25 Sq.Ft. – 1 Marla = 9 Sarsahi = 30.25 x 9 = 272.25 Sq.Ft. (1 Marla)

Pakistani marla

Costs vary from time to time but the average plot size conversion stays the same. Original Marla – 1(Karm/Sarsai) = 5.5 Ft OR 5.5 x 5.5 = 30.25 Sq/Ft – 9(Karm/Sarsai)in 1 Marla = 30.25 x 9 = 272.25 Sq/Ft (1-Marla) ---------------------------------------

Conversion table for British raj Marla to Indian and Pakistani standards

References

Units of area Customary units in India Housing in Pakistan {{Measurement-stub