A Seer (also sihr) is a traditional unit of mass and volume used in large parts of Asia before the middle of the 20th century. It is still in use in only a few countries, such as Afghanistan, Iran, and parts of India, though in Iran it denotes a smaller unit of weight than in India.
India
In India, the seer was a traditional unit used mostly in Northern India, including the Urdu-speaking region, and in Hyderabad in the South. Officially, seer was defined by the Standards of Weights and Measures Act (No. 89 of 1956, amended in 1960 and 1964) as being exactly equal to . However, there were many local variants of the seer in India. Note the chart below gives maund weight for Mumbai, divide by 40 to get a seer.
Bengal 80 tolas of rice South India mass of 24 current rupees Chennai (formerly Madras) approx Gujarat mass of 40 local rupees Mumbai called the Old Seer Maharashtra Equivalent to Kilogram
Aden, Nepal and Pakistan In Aden (Oman), Nepal, and Pakistan a seer was approximately derived from the Government seer of British colonial days.
Afghanistan In Afghanistan, it was a unit of mass equal to approximately .
Persia/Iran In Persia (and later Iran), it was and remains in two units: The metric seer was The seer (sihr) was
The smaller weight is now part of the national weight system in Iran and is used on daily basis for small measures of delicate foodstuff and choice produce.
Sri Lanka In Sri Lanka, it was a measure of capacity, approximately .
See also List of customary units of measurement in South Asia
References