Hasta (unit)

The hasta (Sanskrit: हस्त (hásta); Chinese: 肘 (pinyin: zhǒu)) is a traditional Indian unit of length, measured from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. It equals 24 aṅgulas orﾠ about 18 inches,[1] about 45 centimetres.

4 hastas make one dhanus,[2] and 400 hastas make one nalva. 8 hastas make one rajju.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Sanskrit-English Dictionary by Monier-Williams, (c) 1899
  2. ^ Monier-Williams, Monier (1899). "dhanus". A Sanskrit-English Dictionary: Etymologically and Philologically Arranged with Special Reference to Cognate Indo-European Languages. Oxford: Clarendon Press. OCLC 685239912.


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