Cross from Karnataka into Tamil Nadu and the vocabulary of land changes completely. Guntas give way to cents, and in Chennai to grounds. Move north into Andhra and ankanams appear.
All four are fixed, unlike the bigha. Once you know the square-foot value, the arithmetic is reliable anywhere in the region.
Gunta -- Karnataka and Maharashtra
1 gunta = 1,089 square feet = 121 square yards. 40 guntas = 1 acre.
The gunta is the working unit of agricultural land across Karnataka and much of Maharashtra, where it is often spelled guntha. Revenue records state extents as acres and guntas in separate columns, and brokers quote in the same form.
A gunta being exactly 121 square yards means it converts cleanly to square yards, which is why older documents move between the two without awkward decimals.
The thing to watch is the written form. "2.36 acres" in a Karnataka listing very often means 2 acres 36 guntas -- which is 2.9 acres, not 2.36. That single ambiguity is worth its own guide, because a 23 percent error in extent is not a rounding problem.
Cent -- Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and beyond
1 cent = 435.6 square feet. 100 cents = 1 acre.
The cent is the most rational unit on this page: exactly one hundredth of an acre, as the name implies. Twenty-five cents is a quarter acre and needs no calculator.
It dominates Tamil Nadu and Kerala and is widely used in parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, particularly for smaller residential and garden plots. Agricultural parcels are usually quoted in acres; anything under an acre tends to be quoted in cents.
A decimal, the unit used in Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal, is numerically identical -- also one hundredth of an acre, also 435.6 square feet. Different word, same quantity.
Ground -- Tamil Nadu, especially Chennai
1 ground = 2,400 square feet = 5.51 cents. 18.15 grounds = 1 acre.
The ground is an urban unit. It is how residential plots are quoted in Chennai and across much of urban Tamil Nadu, and you will rarely hear it used for farmland.
At 2,400 square feet it is a convenient plot size rather than a derived fraction of an acre, which is why the per-acre figure is untidy. If someone quotes a plot in grounds, you are looking at a developed or development-intended site, not agricultural land.
Ankanam -- Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
1 ankanam = 72 square feet = 8 square yards. 605 ankanams = 1 acre.
The ankanam is a small unit used for house sites and plots in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and some border districts of Karnataka. Being exactly 8 square yards, it converts cleanly to square yards.
Because it is small, it is almost always used for plots rather than farmland. An extent quoted in ankanams is a building site.
Quick reference
| Unit | Square feet | Square yards | Per acre | Primary region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gunta | 1,089 | 121 | 40 | Karnataka, Maharashtra |
| Cent | 435.6 | 48.4 | 100 | Tamil Nadu, Kerala |
| Ground | 2,400 | 266.67 | 18.15 | Urban Tamil Nadu |
| Ankanam | 72 | 8 | 605 | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana |
Useful cross-conversions:
- 1 gunta = 2.5 cents
- 1 ground = 5.51 cents
- 1 cent = 6.05 ankanams
- 1 acre = 40 guntas = 100 cents = 18.15 grounds = 605 ankanams
The hectare problem in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu records land officially in hectares and ares, while the market talks in acres, cents and grounds. The patta will show one and the broker will quote the other.
1 hectare = 2.471 acres = 247.1 cents. 1 are = 1,076.39 square feet = 2.471 cents.
Converting carelessly between the official and the spoken figure is a recurring source of trouble in Tamil Nadu transactions. Read the extent off the patta and FMB sketch, convert it yourself, and compare against what you were told. The method is in buying farmland in Tamil Nadu.
Other local units you may meet
Kuzhi appears in parts of Tamil Nadu and varies by district, commonly around 144 square feet. Because it is not standard, treat any kuzhi figure as needing local confirmation.
Guntha versus gunta is spelling, not substance -- the same 1,089 square feet.
Acre itself is the safe common ground. Where a local unit and an acre figure appear on the same document and disagree, the acre figure is usually the one the record intends.
Before you rely on any of this
These are the values in common use and the ones most records follow. Local practice still varies, occasionally by district. More importantly, the registered document governs: whatever unit the negotiation happened in, the deed and the revenue record carry a specific extent, and that is what you own.
Confirm the extent on the revenue record, on the deed, and on the survey sketch before money moves.
Related reading
- The complete Indian land unit cheat sheet
- North India's land units explained
- Why 1 bigha differs by state
- Buying farmland in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
Browse listings: farmland near Mysore, agricultural land around Coimbatore, farmland near Hyderabad, or agricultural land around Kochi.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Land measurement units vary by state, district and local usage -- verify current requirements with a local property lawyer before making any purchase decision.
Written by
Agriva Editorial
The Agriva Editorial team writes practical, field-tested guides for buyers, sellers, and brokers navigating India's farmland and niche real estate market.