Land Unit Converter: 1 Nali = 2,160 sq ft

1 Nali equals 2,160 square feet (200.67 square meters) by the standard Kumaon value this converter uses. Nali is the main traditional unit in the hill districts of Kumaon (such as Almora, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar and Champawat) and is also used in the Garhwal hills, where some tehsils count a Nali as anywhere from 2,025 to 2,250 sq ft. The plains (Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and the Dehradun terai) use Bigha instead. Confirm the local value with the Patwari or tehsil office before relying on it.

The two are very different sizes. This converter uses 1 Bigha (Hills) = 6,806.25 sq ft (632.32 sq m), about 3.15 Nali and often rounded to 3 Nali. For the plains (Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and the Dehradun terai) it uses 1 Bigha (Plains) = 17,424 sq ft (1,618.74 sq m), about two and a half times the hill Bigha. Bigha sizes can vary by tehsil, so confirm the applicable Bigha with the local Patwari or tehsil office.

By the values this converter uses, 1 Bigha (Hills) is 632.32 sq m and 1 Nali is 200.67 sq m, so 1 hill Bigha is about 3.15 Nali, usually rounded to 3 Nali. Bigha size varies by tehsil, so treat this as indicative and confirm it against the Khasra and the local Patwari for your specific plot.

1 Mutthi equals 12.54 square meters (135 square feet), because 16 Mutthi make 1 Nali. Mutthi is mainly a Kumaon unit, used for smaller parcels of land.

Biswa is one-twentieth of a Bigha (20 Biswa = 1 Bigha), so its size depends on which Bigha applies. In the hills, 1 Biswa is about 340 sq ft (31.62 sq m); in the plains, about 871 sq ft (80.94 sq m). Multiply the number of Biswa by the matching figure. Biswa values vary a lot from tehsil to tehsil, so confirm the local standard before relying on a conversion.

Nali is used across the hills of both regions: this converter uses the Kumaon standard of 1 Nali = 2,160 sq ft, while some Garhwal tehsils count it as 2,025 to 2,250 sq ft. Mutthi (16 Mutthi = 1 Nali) is mainly a Kumaon unit. The hill Bigha and Biswa are also used in the hills, while the plains of Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and the Dehradun terai use the larger plains Bigha and Biswa. Official land documents in every region use square meters and hectares; the traditional units are what people use locally.

1 Nali equals 200.67 square meters, which is 2,160 square feet or about 0.05 acre. Nali is the main traditional land unit in the hills of Kumaon and is also used in Garhwal, where the local value can differ.

Using 1 Nali = 200.67 sq m, 250 sq m is about 2,690 sq ft, just under 1.25 Nali (1.25 Nali is 2,700 sq ft). Under Uttarakhand's land law (Bhu Kanoon), outside municipal limits an outside buyer can buy up to 250 sq m of land for residential use without permission, in all 13 districts. Whether you are an outside buyer is decided by the Section 154 test in the land law, not by your domicile. The limit has applied since 2007 and is a lifetime total across the State that also counts purchases by your spouse, minor children, unmarried sons and daughters and dependent parents; since 2025 you confirm it by affidavit to the Sub-Registrar. After that purchase you become a special-category bhumidhar, and the Act says any further land purchase then needs State Government permission. Land for a listed purpose such as tourism or education needs prior State Government sanction, and land to farm can be bought only in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar, also with sanction. See our Bhu Kanoon guide for the details.