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'' (alb ...

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 A shape or figure is a graphics, graphical representation of an obje ...

used in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

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 ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

to be equal to the square rod, or 272.25 square

feet The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made ...

, 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 ...

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 pref ...

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 A guz or the Mughal yard is a unit of length used in parts of Asia. Historically, it was a regionally variable measurement similar to the English yard both in size and in that it was often used for measuring textiles. Values of the guz ranged from ...

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 Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...

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 a ...

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