Before the introduction of the metric system, one may divide the history of Indian systems of measurement into three main periods: the pre-Akbar period, the period of the Akbar system, and the British colonial period.

During the Indian pre ancient period, weights and measure systems varied from region to region, commodity to commodity, and rural to urban areas. The weights were based on the weight of various seeds (in particular the wheat berry and Ratti) and lengths were based on the length of arms and width of fingers. During his reign, the Mughal emperor Akbar realized a need for a uniform system, and used the weight of the barley corn as a standard. This did not replace the existing system; rather, it simply added another system of measurement.

When the British first began trading in India, they accepted barley corn as a unit for weighing gold. Eventually, the British introduced their own system for weighing gold. In 1956, the government of independent India passed the Standards of Weights Act, which would come into effect in 1958. The metric system was made mandatory for weights in October 1960, and for measures in April 1962.

In 1956, for metrication, the Indian government defined the Standards of Measurements Act (No. 89 of 1956, amended 1960, 1964) as follows:

The current definitions as per the UN are:

These are the weights and measures popular in North India before the adoption of the metric system. There were different systems in Bengal, the Presidency of Madras, and Bombay. The following nomenclature was prevalent in North India until the metric system was established:

Grains were not weighed. Special hour-glass shaped measure were used to determine the volume.

Smallest unit = 1 Nilve