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District guide
Buying Land in Darbhanga
A Mithila district with an expanding airport, the Patna–Purnia expressway route, a township plan and rice, mango and makhana farming.
2,541 sq km
Area (ICAR-CRIDA)
1,234 mm
Normal annual rainfall
148%
Cropping intensity
89.75 acres
Airport land approved
District land record — Darbhanga
Rev. 2026 · Farmland India desk
State
Bihar
Sub-divisions
Sixteen blocks per the district contingency plan (ICAR-CRIDA). Jale, Benipur, Biraul, Bahadurpur, Hayaghat and Kusheshwar Asthan are among them, and Darbhanga city is the headquarters of Mithila.
Key markets
Darbhanga city · Airport side · Biraul · Jale
Demand anchors
Darbhanga airport has 89.75 acres approved for expansion at Rs 244.60 crore (Prabhat Khabar, 10 Jan 2025) and an approach-road land acquisition under way (Prabhat Khabar, 3 Jul 2026). The Patna–Purnia expressway route includes the district (Prabhat Khabar, 23 Oct 2026).
Rail
Darbhanga Junction; the nearest scheduled air service is the district’s own airport.
Size and population
About 2,541 sq km, of which about 172,000 ha is net sown.
Pricing unit
Asking prices are usually quoted in kattha or decimal; no sourced price series is shown
Local units
Kattha and bigha vary in size across Bihar and are not fixed by a single official conversion; 1 decimal is one-hundredth of an acre (435.6 sq ft). Always convert to acres or sq ft on the deed.
Land records portal
biharbhumi.bihar.gov.in for Jamabandi, mutation and maps
Land law is state law. These rules are maintained on the Bihar page and apply to every district within it.
Darbhanga — land purchase legal rules
Bihar does not reserve agricultural land for farmers the way Gujarat or Maharashtra do, so an Indian resident who is not a cultivator can usually buy farmland here. The limits that bite are different: a family land ceiling, a conversion permission before any non-farm use, an unfinished statewide resurvey that is rewriting old records, and the usual NRI bar under FEMA. Most buyer problems in Bihar come from the records, not from the law.
Who can buy agricultural land? We found no provision in Bihar’s tenancy or ceiling laws that limits farmland purchases to agriculturists. What the Bihar Land Reforms (Fixation of Ceiling Area and Acquisition of Surplus Land) Act, 1961 controls is how much a family may hold, and section 16 bars any acquisition by transfer, exchange, lease, mortgage or settlement that would take the buyer’s family above its ceiling. Inheritance, bequest and gift are outside that bar.
Ceiling limits: Section 4 of the 1961 Act sets the ceiling for a family of up to five by land class: 15 acres for land irrigated by government works and double-cropped, 18 acres for land on private tubewells or lift irrigation, 25 acres for one-season irrigated land, 30 acres for other land including orchards, 37.5 acres for diara or chaur land and 45 acres for hilly, sandy or perennially submerged land. Each extra family member adds one-tenth of the ceiling, up to one and a half times the limit. A “family” is a person, spouse and minor children, and companies, trusts and institutions count as persons.
Conversion to non-farm use: The Bihar Agriculture Land (Conversion for Non-Agriculture Purposes) Act, 2010 requires prior permission from the Sub-Divisional Officer before agricultural land is used for anything else. The fee is 10% of market value as set by the Collector under the Stamp Act, the SDO must decide within 90 days, and converting without permission draws a penalty of half the fee on top of the fee. The Act does not apply inside municipal areas or areas notified as urban, commercial or industrial through a master plan, where building and layout rules take over instead.
Mutation and the Jamabandi: A registered deed is not the end of the job. The buyer has to apply for mutation, called Dakhil Kharij, so that the Jamabandi (register II) moves to the buyer’s name and rent receipts are issued to the buyer. Both steps run online through Bihar Bhumi, and errors in the digitised Jamabandi are corrected through the Parimarjan portal. Sellers whose Jamabandi carries a wrong name, area or plot number should fix it before registry, not after.
The special land survey: Bihar is resurveying land under the Bihar Special Survey and Settlement Act, 2011, which will produce a new Khatiyan (record of rights) and maps for each village. The deadline was moved to December 2026 in March 2025 (PTI via ThePrint), and the revenue minister was reported in March 2026 to have set December 2027 for completion (Prabhat Khabar, March 2026). Buyers in a village under survey should check whether the seller filed the self-declaration and whether any claim or objection is pending on the plot.
Government, Bhoodan and estate land: A large share of disputes involves land that was never the seller’s to sell: government land recorded as gair mazarua, Bhoodan land, or land of former estates. The revenue department reported that 2,56,664.88 acres of the 6,48,593.14 acres donated under Bhoodan had been distributed, and that about 15,358 acres of the former Bettiah Raj estate were set to be taken over (Deccan Herald). Check the khata category in the Khatiyan before paying any token money.
Scheduled Areas and tribal land: Bihar is not among the ten states with notified Fifth Schedule Areas (PIB). The Chotanagpur and Santhal Parganas tenancy restrictions on tribal land went with those regions to Jharkhand in 2000, so buyers moving between the two states should not assume the same rules apply.
Planned township zones: Bihar has finalised areas for 11 greenfield satellite townships and in April 2026 the Urban Development Department barred sale, purchase and construction in seven of them, including the Pataliputra Township around Patna (Prabhat Khabar, April 2026). The ban on sales was lifted in August 2026, though a landowner inside the Pataliputra township area must first inform the government before selling, and a cabinet decision reported on 29 October 2026 removed the restriction in the satellite townships, with construction to follow the development control rules (Prabhat Khabar, 9 August 2026; Prabhat Khabar, 29 October 2026). Zoning under these plans now decides what a plot can be used for.
Documents to ask for: Before paying an advance, collect the current Jamabandi page and the latest rent receipt (lagan rasid), the Khatiyan (record of rights) from the last settled survey and, where it exists, the new survey entry, the Bhu Naksha map sheet with the plot number marked, the seller’s chain of registered deeds (kewala) for at least the last 30 years, the mutation order that put the land in the seller’s name, and a land possession certificate (LPC) from the circle office. Match the khata, khesra (plot) number, area and boundaries across every document. Our Bhu Naksha guide and mutation status guide show how to pull these online.
NRI and OCI buyers: Under the RBI’s Master Direction on acquisition of immovable property, NRIs and OCIs may buy immovable property in India other than agricultural land, plantation property or a farm house. They can inherit such land. Our NRI guide covers the options in detail.
- No farmer-only rule found
- Ceiling Act 1961
- Conversion Act 2010 (SDO)
- Dakhil Kharij mutation
- Special survey to 2027 (reported)
- NRI agri: barred (RBI)
- Records via Bihar Bhumi
Darbhanga — district-specific notes
The Bihar state page applies to Darbhanga in full: the ceiling law, the 2010 conversion rule, mutation through Bihar Bhumi and the NRI bar. These five points are specific to the district.
⚠ Airport and approach-road land. Prabhat Khabar reports 4.4607 acres being acquired for an NH-27 approach road to the new civil enclave (Prabhat Khabar, 3 Jul 2026) and 89.75 acres approved for expansion (Prabhat Khabar, 10 Jan 2025). Ask the District Land Acquisition Office whether the mauza is on a list before you pay an advance.
⚠ Expressway and township land. Darbhanga is one of six districts where the Revenue and Land Reforms Department ordered a special MVR review before the Patna–Purnia expressway acquisition (Prabhat Khabar, 21 Jul 2025), and Darbhanga was among seven townships where land sales had been barred from April 2026 (Prabhat Khabar, 23 Apr 2026). The cabinet lifted the ban on 29 October 2026 (Prabhat Khabar). Check the notified plan before you buy.
⚠ The government rate has risen. The June 2026 MVR revision doubled government rates in urban areas and raised village rates by about 60%, and stamp duty was reported at 7% (Prabhat Khabar, 18 Jun 2026). Confirm the exact rate with the Darbhanga sub-registrar before you budget.
⚠ Special survey. The revenue minister set December 2027 as the target for the state’s special land survey (Prabhat Khabar, 11 Mar 2026). Check the survey stage of the mauza and any pending corrections on Parimarjan.
⚠ Flood and pond land. The contingency plan includes flood and drought strategies, and makhana grows in ponds in low-lying areas (ICAR-CRIDA). Ask the circle office for the plot’s flood history and whether a pond or low field has a different land category on the record.
Read the full Bihar land buying guide for the ceiling, conversion, survey and NRI rules.
- Airport land acquisition
- Expressway route
- MVR revised 2026
- Special survey to 2027 (reported)
- Township plan
District overview
Darbhanga — a capital district with a new metro, a second airport and a Tal farm belt
Darbhanga is the cultural centre of Mithila, with about 2,541 sq km, sixteen blocks, 1,234 mm of normal rainfall and 172,000 ha net sown (ICAR-CRIDA contingency plan). Rice dominates at about 102,000 ha, followed by wheat and maize, with mango (about 12,900 ha), banana and litchi orchards and makhana (fox nut) in low-lying ponds. Bore wells irrigate most of the land. The district is flat, densely farmed and increasingly shaped by its airport.
Darbhanga airport is the main story. The cabinet approved Rs 244.60 crore for acquiring 89.75 acres to make it an international airport (Prabhat Khabar, 10 Jan 2025), the Airports Authority approved a 12,000 ft runway (Prabhat Khabar, 28 Oct 2024), a Rs 572 crore permanent terminal was awarded in February 2024 (Prabhat Khabar), and in July 2026 the district began acquiring 4.4607 acres for an NH-27 approach road (Prabhat Khabar). The Patna–Purnia expressway, about 245 km and about Rs 31,987 crore, is reported to be launched by the Prime Minister on 20 November 2026 (Prabhat Khabar, 23 Oct 2026). The Mithila satellite township’s land-sale ban was lifted on 29 October 2026 (Prabhat Khabar).
For farmland buyers, Darbhanga splits into three working belts. Darbhanga city and the airport side are the urban edge, where acquisition and zoning matter. The expressway belt follows the route through the district, where the special MVR review applied. The remaining blocks are paddy, mango and makhana farming land, with flood exposure in low-lying parts. Land with a clear title away from the airport and expressway alignments is the simplest to buy.
- Mithila plain
- Darbhanga city
- Airport
- Makhana ponds
- Mango belt
- Flood-prone plain
Transaction costs
Stamp duty & registration in Darbhanga
7%
General stamp duty from 19 June 2026, up from 6%
as reported by Prabhat Khabar; confirm at the sub-registrar office
2%
Registration fee on a conveyance deed
as stated in the 2017-18 state audit; confirm the current fee
19 June 2026
Revised MVR in force statewide
urban and peripheral areas doubled, rural raised 60%
Darbhanga follows the state rates. Prabhat Khabar reported that from 19 June 2026 the MVR was doubled in urban and peripheral areas and raised 60% in rural areas, with the general stamp duty at 7% (6% before) and a 0.5 percentage point concession for women buyers (Prabhat Khabar, June 2026). The CAG audit for 2017-18 gives a 2% registration fee (CAG report No. 2 of 2019). The MVR then rises 5% every financial year and is reviewed every three years. Converting farmland to non-farm use outside the urban area adds a fee of 10% of market value (Conversion Act 2010). Our stamp duty guide and MVR guide explain how to look up the rate on Nibandhan.
Know the belt
What is moving prices in Darbhanga
Reported airport, expressway and township developments; no listing-site prices are used.
Darbhanga city and the airport side
Land acquisition, Jul 2026
Darbhanga city is the district headquarters. The new civil enclave is to be reached by an NH-27 approach road for which 4.4607 acres are being acquired after a social impact assessment (Prabhat Khabar, 3 Jul 2026). Earlier, 54 acres were acquired for the enclave and 24 acres for the runway upgrade (Prabhat Khabar, 28 Oct 2024).
Check: whether the mauza is on an acquisition notice, the land category, and the plot’s distance from the airport boundary.
The expressway route
Special MVR review, 2025
Darbhanga is one of six districts (with Vaishali, Samastipur, Saharsa, Madhepura and Purnia) where the Revenue and Land Reforms Department ordered a special MVR review before the first notification (Prabhat Khabar, 21 Jul 2025). The expressway is reported as about 245 km, six lanes (Prabhat Khabar, 23 Oct 2026). The exact mauzas in Darbhanga are not listed in the reports we found.
Check: whether the mauza is on the notified alignment, and the MVR after the special review.
Makhana and mango belts
Ponds, orchards and paddy
Makhana is grown in ponds in low-lying areas, and mango covers about 12,900 ha, banana about 1,750 ha and litchi about 820 ha (ICAR-CRIDA). Land value for orchards and ponds depends on irrigation, drainage and flood exposure rather than roads.
Check: pond ownership and land category on the record, drainage, and mutation history.
Paddy and wheat farm blocks
Rice country
Away from the city and corridors, the district is rice and wheat farming, with maize and pulses. ICAR-CRIDA records rice on about 102,000 ha, wheat on 57,000 ha and maize on 15,000 ha (2008–09) (ICAR-CRIDA). Bore wells are the main irrigation source.
Check: the water source, flood history, and mutation history.
Asking prices
We found no newspaper or official price series for Darbhanga farmland, so no price band is shown. Use the MVR and registered deeds.
Connectivity
How Darbhanga connects — road, rail and air
The airport, the expressway route and rail and road links. Drive times are not given because no source was found.
🚗 By road
✈️ By air
🚆 By rail
No drive times are given because we found no source for them. The terminal timeline given in 2024 was before 2027; check the airport authority for current dates.
Growth catalysts
Upcoming infrastructure & developments
Status labels reflect sources read in November 2026. Government-announced timelines are not guaranteed; items with a single or older source say so.
00Open
04Catalysts
Agriculture & terrain
Soil, crops & water in Darbhanga
Soils, rainfall and horticulture from the ICAR-CRIDA district contingency plan (2012).
Crops
Rice is the main kharif crop on about 102,000 ha, followed by wheat on 57,000 ha and maize on 15,000 ha, with greengram and lentil as pulses (ICAR-CRIDA). Net sown area is about 172,000 ha and the cropping intensity is 148%.
- Rice, wheat and maize
- Rice on about 102,000 ha
- Wheat on about 57,000 ha
- Maize on about 15,000 ha
- Makhana in low-lying ponds
Soils
The plan lists two main soils, very deep calcareous fine loamy soil and very deep loamy-surface soil, without area shares.
- Calcareous fine loamy soil
- Loamy-surface soil
- North Bihar alluvial plain
- Middle Gangetic Plain, hot subhumid
Horticulture
Mango is the largest orchard crop on about 12,900 ha, with banana (1,750 ha) and litchi (820 ha) smaller. Makhana, grown in ponds, has no area figure in the plan.
- Mango on about 12,900 ha
- Banana on about 1,750 ha
Water and irrigation
About 79,000 ha is net irrigated, mostly from bore wells (74,281 ha), with open wells on 4,883 ha (ICAR-CRIDA). The plan classes all sixteen blocks as groundwater safe, with arsenic in the 0 to 0.4 ppm range.
Rainfall and flooding
Normal annual rainfall is 1,234 mm, of which 1,107 mm falls from June to September (ICAR-CRIDA).
At a glance
Patna vs. nearby districts
| District | Land and water | What links it to Patna |
|---|---|---|
| Samastipur (south) | Also on the Patna–Purnia expressway; the flat alluvial plain continues south of Darbhanga. | Samastipur is in the six-district special MVR review (Prabhat Khabar, 21 Jul 2025). |
| Saharsa (east) | On the same expressway route, and planned as a satellite township city with Darbhanga. | Saharsa and Darbhanga were both in the April 2026 township land-sale ban list (Prabhat Khabar, 23 Apr 2026). |
No price series is shown for any district because none is sourced. Darbhanga figures are from ICAR-CRIDA and Prabhat Khabar. Compare the MVR for each mauza before assuming land across a district line is cheaper.
Farmland India view
Why investors look at Darbhanga
What the airport, the expressway, the township plan and the new government rate mean for a buyer.
An airport that is growing
Darbhanga airport has approved land, a runway extension, a permanent terminal contract and a new approach road (Prabhat Khabar, Prabhat Khabar). Land near the airport is the district’s strongest story, and also its most acquisition-prone.
An expressway that is a route
The Patna–Purnia expressway is reported as about 245 km and Rs 31,987 crore, with a launch expected on 20 November 2026 (Prabhat Khabar). Land on the alignment is acquired at compensation based on the reviewed MVR (Prabhat Khabar).
A higher government floor
The June 2026 revision doubled urban and raised village government rates by about 60%, with stamp duty reported at 7% (Prabhat Khabar). Budget the duty on the higher of the deed value and the MVR.
Township rules are loosening
The ban on land sales in satellite townships, which included Darbhanga, was lifted on 29 October 2026 (Prabhat Khabar). Once the plan is notified, use and construction will follow it.
Farm returns come from paddy, mango and makhana
About 102,000 ha is under rice and 12,900 ha under mango, with makhana in ponds (ICAR-CRIDA). Cropping intensity is 148%, so most land grows more than one crop a year.
Confirm Jamabandi, mutation, zoning and acquisition status directly — these are not certified by Farmland India’s review.
STRAIGHT TALK
Risks & challenges in Darbhanga
District-specific risks. Read the state page for the general Bihar risks on ceiling, conversion and records.
Acquisition and alignment uncertainty
Prabhat Khabar reports airport land acquisition and an expressway route through the district (Airport, Expressway). Acquired land is paid at government-fixed compensation, and a notice can reduce the plot you thought you bought.
Flood and waterlogging
The contingency plan includes flood and drought strategies and records the district’s 1,107 mm monsoon rain (ICAR-CRIDA). Ask for the plot’s monsoon record and drainage outlet before you pay.
Township and plan changes
The township sale ban was imposed, relaxed and lifted within seven months (Prabhat Khabar). A plan not yet notified may later restrict use or building.
Special survey in progress
Bihar’s special survey is targeted for December 2027 (Prabhat Khabar, 11 Mar 2026). Records may change as the survey reaches the mauza, so check the survey stage and any pending corrections.
Mismatched records
Old Khatiyan, digitised Jamabandi and the special survey's new records may not agree on area or owners. Compare all three with the physical plot and check the map before you pay (Bhu Naksha guide).
Joint family land
Unpartitioned land sold by one brother or heir can be challenged by the others. Ask for a partition deed or the written consent of every heir, and read the mutation history.
Colonies on farmland
Plotted colonies on agricultural land without conversion or an approved layout can leave buyers with plots they cannot legally build on or get a power connection for.
Under-valued deeds
Registering below the revised MVR invites a deficit-duty demand and penalties. Pay duty on the real value and keep payment records through banks.
Who to contact
Local revenue & planning offices
The Collectorate at Darbhanga, under the District Magistrate, runs the district. The sub-divisional officers and the Anchal (circle) offices in the blocks handle mutation, conversion and survey claims, and registration is done at the sub-registry offices listed on the Nibandhan portal. The District Land Acquisition Office handles airport and expressway claims. Official pages: Bihar Bhumi and Parimarjan.
KEEP EXPLORING
Explore more areas
Other districts in Bihar
- Araria
- Arwal
- Aurangabad
- Banka
- Begusarai
- Bhagalpur
- Bhojpur
- Buxar
- East Champaran
- Gaya Ji (gaya)
- Gopalganj
- Jamui
- Jehanabad
- Kaimur (bhabua)
- Katihar
- Khagaria
- Kishanganj
- Lakhisarai
- Madhepura
- Madhubani
- Munger
- Muzaffarpur
- Nalanda
- Nawada
- Patna
- Purnia
- Rohtas
- Saharsa
- Samastipur
- Saran
- Sheikhpura
- Sheohar
- Sitamarhi
- Siwan
- Supaul
- Vaishali
- West Champaran
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
Everything buyers, NRIs and investors ask before their first reviewed farmland purchase in Darbhanga.
Visit full wiki01 of 04
Is there a price guide for farmland in Darbhanga?
We found no newspaper or official price series for Darbhanga farmland, so none is shown. Check the Minimum Value Register for the mauza and land category and compare it with recent registered deeds in the same village before you negotiate.
02 of 04
Which projects affect land in Darbhanga?
Prabhat Khabar reports Darbhanga airport expansion (89.75 acres approved at Rs 244.60 crore, a 12,000 ft runway approved and an approach road under land acquisition), the Patna–Purnia expressway, where Darbhanga is one of six districts with a special MVR review, and a Mithila satellite township. Check each plot against the alignments.
03 of 04
Can I buy land in the Mithila township area?
Prabhat Khabar reported on 29 October 2026 that the cabinet lifted, with immediate effect, the ban on buying and selling land in the satellite townships, which had covered Darbhanga from April 2026. Use and construction will follow the township plan once notified, so check the plan and the registry.
04 of 04
Can an NRI buy agricultural land in Darbhanga?
No. Under FEMA an NRI or OCI cannot buy agricultural land, a plantation or a farmhouse in India, and Bihar’s rules on agricultural land apply as on the state page. Resident Indian buyers should confirm title through Jamabandi and mutation records.
Transparency
Sources and references
Law and courts
- https://indiankanoon.org/doc/8008488/
- https://saiindia.gov.in/uploads/download_audit_report/2019/Chapter_5_Stamp_and_Registration_Fees_of_Report_No_2_of_2019_Revenue_Sector_Government_of_Bihar.pdf
Government
- https://icar-crida.res.in/CP/Bihar/BI2-Dharbhanga-10.08.12-.pdf
- https://biharbhumi.bihar.gov.in/
- https://parimarjan.bihar.gov.in
- https://nibandhan.bihar.gov.in/Eservices.aspx
News
- https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/state/bihar/bihar-land-registry-new-rate-bihar-land-registry-new-rules-mvr-rate-doubled-stamp-duty-increased
- https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/state/bihar/darbhanga/cm-nitish-bihar-cabinet-approves-244-crore-for-darbhanga-airport-expansion-big-decision-towards-international
- https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/state/bihar/patna/approval-given-to-increase-the-length-of-runway-of-darbhanga-airport-the-path-to-international-status-becomes-easier
- https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/state/bihar/darbhanga/ahluwalia-contracts-new-terminal-of-darbhanga-airport-will-be-built-asj
- https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/state/bihar/darbhanga/darbhanga-airport-news-new-civil-enclave-land-acquisition-approach-road-nh27
- https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/state/bihar/patna/expressway-in-bihar-big-preparations-regarding-land-acquisition-for-patna-purnia-road-orders-for-6-districts
- https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/state/bihar/bihar-first-patna-purnia-six-lane-expressway-cost-31987-crore-just-3-hours-journey
- https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/state/bihar/patna/bihar-government-sale-and-purchase-of-land-ban-satellite-township-samrat-chaudhary
- https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/state/bihar/greenfield-satellite-township-ban-on-land-sale-lifted-bihar-cabinet-decision
- https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/state/bihar/patna/bihar-bhumi-vijay-sinha-meeting-officials-march-13-announced-deadline-completing-land-survey
Further reading
- /locations/bihar
- /wiki/land-records-documentation/bihar-bhumi-jamabandi-online
- /wiki/land-records-documentation/dakhil-kharij-bihar-mutation-status
- /wiki/taxation-stamp-duty-registration/mvr-rate-bihar
Data-currency note: sources were read in November 2026. Project status, the MVR and township rules change often; check the linked source and the relevant office before relying on any figure.
For developers
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