Discovering Rupantaran: Simplifying Nepali Measurements for Everyone

Sat, 22 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Imagine you’re buying land in Nepal, and someone tells you it’s “2 bigha, 5 kattha” in the Terai region or “3 ropani, 2 aana” in the hilly areas. Or perhaps you’re at a market, and a vendor offers “5 pau” of rice. If you’re scratching your head wondering how these traditional Nepali measurements translate into something familiar—like square meters or kilograms—you’re not alone. That’s exactly why I created Rupantaran , an open-source Python package designed to make these conversions simple and accessible to everyone.

The Journey Behind Rupantaran

“Rupantaran,” meaning “transformation” in Nepali, reflects the goal of making traditional measurements more accessible. Fascinated by Nepal’s rich heritage, I noticed that traditional units—like bigha for land or tola for weight—are still widely used, especially in rural areas. Yet, in today’s globalized world, where metric units like meters and kilograms dominate, these local measurements can sometimes feel like a puzzle. Hoping to bridge this gap, I worked on a tool that makes conversions easier. Believing that knowledge should be shared and accessible to everyone, Rupantaran is open-source, welcoming others to use, refine, and contribute to its growth.

Spotlight: Bigha Busters

One of my favorite bits is Bigha Busters , a little app I whipped up with Rupantaran. It’s got a cool vibe—pick a Nepali unit like “2 bigha” or “5 ropani,” and it not only converts it to square meters but also shows you fun equivalents. How many Olympic pools could fit? What about Taj Mahals? It’s a playful way to wrap your head around these sizes, and I had a blast making it. The code’s right here if you want to peek or build your own.

Open Source Philosophy

Rupantaran is released under the MIT License, embodying the spirit of open collaboration. This means you can:

✓ Use it freely in your projects
✓ Modify the code to suit your needs
✓ Build upon it to create new tools
✓ Contribute improvements back to the community

A Quick Taste: Sample Code


pip install rupantaran


from rupantaran.land import mixed_units
result = mixed_units.hilly_mixed_to_terai_mixed(expression = "2 ropani 3 aana 2 paisa", precision = 2)

That’s it! One line, and you’ve gone from bigha to ropani. Check the docs here for more.

Visit Rupantaran on GitHub

The project is actively maintained and welcomes contributions from the community.

Python Package on Biraj Koirala

Discovering Rupantaran: Simplifying Nepali Measurements for Everyone

Table of Contents

The Journey Behind Rupantaran

Spotlight: Bigha Busters

Open Source Philosophy

A Quick Taste: Sample Code