Indian gold is bought in units that predate the gram, and the mismatch between what people say and what the board quotes causes real confusion at the counter. Here is what each one actually is.
The tola is not 10 grams
This is the big one. A tola is 11.6638 grams — it was the weight of a silver rupee coin under the British, and it is still the unit the old trade thinks in.
But bullion boards across India quote per 10 grams, and in everyday speech people call that figure "one tola". They are not the same thing. Ten grams is about 86% of a real tola. If someone quotes you "1,52,000 a tola" and hands you 10 grams, you have been quoted the 10-gram rate under the wrong name — usually through habit rather than intent, but check which one is on the bill.
The rate on this site is per 10 grams, stated as such, because that is what the market quotes.
Pavan and sovereign — 8 grams
In Kerala, Tamil Nadu and much of the south, gold is bought by the pavan (also called a sovereign): 8 grams. A wedding set is discussed in pavans, not grams. If you are used to north Indian quoting and hear "five pavan", that is 40 grams.
This is why any serious rate board carries an 8-gram figure alongside 10 — they are two different regional conventions for the same metal.
Vori and bhori — the Bengali tola
In West Bengal and Bangladesh the vori or bhori is used, and it is the same 11.664 grams as the tola.
Ratti and masha — the small units
Below the tola sits an older subdivision still used for stones and very small quantities:
- 1 ratti = about 0.1215 grams (originally a rattan seed, which is why it varies slightly by region)
- 8 ratti = 1 masha, about 0.972 grams
- 12 masha = 1 tola, 11.664 grams
Ratti is most often heard now in gemstone weights rather than gold.
And the carat that is not a karat
Confusingly, carat with a C is a weight used for stones — 0.2 grams — while karat with a K is a purity measure for gold, as in 22K or 24K. Indian usage spells both "carat", so a "2 carat diamond in 22 carat gold" is using the word two different ways in one sentence. Both are correct.
Quick conversions
| Unit | Grams | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 ratti | 0.1215 | gemstones |
| 1 masha | 0.972 | traditional trade |
| 1 pavan / sovereign | 8 | South India |
| Board quote | 10 | all bullion markets |
| 1 tola / vori | 11.664 | traditional trade, North and East |
What to do about it
Ask for the weight in grams on the bill, always. Traditional units are fine in conversation, but a tax invoice that says "1 tola" is ambiguous by 1.66 grams — which at current rates is about 25,000 rupees of gold.