History of measurement systems in India

The history of measurement systems in India begins in early Indus Valley civilisation with the earliest surviving samples dated to the 5th millennium BCE. Since early times the adoption of standard weights and measures has reflected in the country's architectural, folk, and metallurgical artifacts. Weights existed in multiples of a standard weight and in categories. Uniform units of length were used in the planning of towns such as Lothal, Surkotada, Kalibangan, Dolavira, Harappa, and Mohenjo daro. Shigeo Iwata describes the excavated weights unearthed from the Indus civilisation:

Depiction of equal arm balances is found in the art of Ajanta cave (No. 17) in the Maharashtra state. Beams of steelyard balances have been unearthed from the 8th century CE archaeological sites at Sirpur and Arang.

The Chinese merchant Ma Huan (1413–51) outlines the standardised weight and currency system in place at the port city of Cochin. were issued in Cochin and weighed a total of one fen and one li according to the Chinese standards. They were of fine quality and could be exchanged in China for 15 silver coins of four li weight each. As a part of these reforms, Akbar the Great (1556–1605) enforced practical standardisation in the empire's weight and measure system. However, the traditional units still prevail in some areas. Indians in villages continue to use some of the ancient measuring techniques and standards such as palm length, arm length or the owner, tula for gold and mana for weight etc.