Aṅgula (from sa, अङ्गुल - 'a finger; the thumb; a finger's breadth') is a measure of length. Twelve ''aṅgulas'' make a
Vitasti
A vitasti ( sa, वितस्ति, ') is an ancient Indian unit of length approximating to 21 centimeters.
Etymology
The Sanskrit word ''vitasti'', meaning "span", is an ancient Indo-Iranian term. It is derived from the Proto-Indo-Iranian ter ...
or span, and twenty-four a
Hasta
Hasta may refer to:
Latin
*Hasta (spear)
*Hasta Pompeia, a Roman town today known as Asti
Sanskrit
*Hasta (hand), a Sanskrit word meaning hand gesture or position
*Hasta (unit), a measure of length
*Hasta (nakshatra), the thirteenth nakshatra of ...
or
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 ...
. 108 Angulam make a 'Dhanusha'. These measurements are claimed to have been used since the Harappan civilization and that these were also used for the construction of Taj Mahal.
One ''Aṅgula'' during the Maurya period is believed to be approximately equal to 1.763 centimetres.
In the Hindu , the size of an aṅgula is considerably larger "the length of the middle digit
phalange">/nowiki>phalange">phalange.html" ;"title="/nowiki>phalange">/nowiki>phalange/nowiki> of the middle finger", (about 4.5 cm), but the ratios with the larger units remain unchanged.
Notes
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Units of length
Customary units in India
Obsolete units of measurement