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marla

In parts of India and Pakistan, ? – 21^st century, a unit of land area, standardized under the British as = 1 square rod = 30.25 square yards (about 25.29 sq. meters) Sizes in the state of Punjab:

sources

In a few villages in the north of the district the zamíndárs use the kanál and marla standard common everywhere.

Gazetteer of the Ambala District. 1883-84.
“Compiled and Published under authority of the Punjab government.”
Page 55.

79. One of the first points for decision was to what extent remeasurements were necessary and what should be the scale of the new maps : the standard measure of length is the karam, or double pace of 66 inches, and the measures of area are as follows:-

9 square karams = 1 marla = 1 pole.

20 marlas = 1 kanál = ½ rood.

8 kanáls = 1 ghumáo = 1 acre.

The people themselves commonly, but by no means invariably, reckon in bighas, the bigha being equal to 4 kanals or half an acre.

W. S. Talbot
Final Report of the Revision of the Settlement of the Jhelum District in the Punjab.
Lahore: The “Civil and Military Gazette” Press, 1901.
Page 41.
Jhelum is now in the Punjab province of Pakistan.

examples

In the Haryana Govt. Gazette (Extraordinary) Nov. 9, 2010 (Kartika 18, 1932 Saka), on page 7577, “Scheme applicable up to 06.09.2010” the “size of residential plot to be allotted” is given as “3 marla”, but in the same row of the chart, under “Scheme Revised w.e.f. 07.09.2010”, the same land is described as “90 sq. mtrs”. The publication also contains forms to be filled out by those seeking relief; they are asked to state the size of their holdings in kanals and marlas. Thus the unit was in use in India in the 21st century, but the publication has captured a moment of metrication.

Bahria Enclave [Islamabad, Pakistan]. Project Type: Exclusive community of 5, 8, 10 Marla & 1, 2, 4 Kanal residential plots & 4, 8 Marla commercial plots.

Real estate advertisement for a gated community. http://islamabad.olx.com.pk/bahria-enclave-islamabad-iid-495292148. Retrieved 19 March 2014.