Regional Land Terms Explained in English

Records and Numbers

These terms identify who holds land and which piece of land is meant. Know them first, because every other check refers back to them.

• Khasra (खसरा) or plot number. The number given to each field or parcel in the village map and the field book. In Uttar Pradesh the equivalent plot identifier is commonly called the gata number (गाटा संख्या). In the same village, khasra numbers do not repeat, but they do repeat across villages, so always pair the number with the village and tehsil.
• Khatauni (खतौनी). A record listing the holders of land in a village, with the khata number and the khasra numbers held. It is a revenue record, and an entry is not proof of title on its own.
• Khewat (खेवट) and khata (खाता). The record of ownership and the account of holdings. In Punjab and Haryana, the khewat identifies the group of joint holders; the khatauni identifies the individual cultivation share within it. Terms for the same level differ between states, so read the heading of the record you hold.
• Jamabandi (जमाबंदी). A register of rights, prepared village by village and refreshed periodically. In Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh it is the main record of ownership and cultivation. See Jamabandi and Fard Explained.
• Fard (फर्द) or nakal (नकल). A certified copy or extract of a record. Rajasthan commonly uses nakal for a copy of the jamabandi.
• Girdawari (गिरदावरी). The crop and possession inspection record maintained by the patwari, noting who is cultivating what in each season. Many buyers overlook it, but it records the person actually in possession.
• Shajra nasab (शजरा नसब). The family tree of a landholder, used for inheritance and partition. See the pedigree table guide.
• Tatima (ततीमा). In Himachal Pradesh, a sketch map and measurement record used alongside the jamabandi.

Not every state uses every term. When one is missing from your state's portal, look for the equivalent by function: ownership register, plot list, map, crop record.

Land Classes and Local Categories

The revenue record also classifies the land by use and irrigation. The classification influences what you may do with the land and how it is valued. See types of land in India for the general picture.

• Chahi (चाही), nehri (नहरी), barani (बारानी). Land irrigated by a well or tubewell, by canal, and rain-fed land, in the Punjab and Haryana tradition. The category affects valuation and sometimes crop planning.
• Banjar (बंजर), ghair mumkin (गैर मुमकिन). Waste or uncultivable categories. Ghair mumkin entries often cover land taken up by tracks, ponds, buildings or hills. Whether such land may be bought, used or converted is a state-specific question that needs a local lawyer.
• Shamlat deh (शामलात देह). Common village land held for the use of the village community, mostly in Punjab and Haryana. Treat it as not saleable until you have a clear legal opinion.
• Charagah (चरागाह). Grazing land, usually vested in the village panchayat. Such land generally cannot be sold by an individual.
• Abadi (आबादी) and lal dora (लाल डोरा). The inhabited village site. Lal dora is the notional boundary drawn around the abadi in Punjab, Haryana and parts of Delhi; land within it is usually not agricultural and follows different rules.
• Bhumidhar (भूमिधर). In Uttar Pradesh, a person with transferable rights in land under the state's revenue code. Other categories exist with restricted rights. Check the category in the Khatauni before buying.
• Khatedar (खातेदार). In Rajasthan, the tenant holding rights recorded in the khata, which is the main category for agricultural land transfers.
• Nautor (नौतोड़). In Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, land granted by the government for cultivation, usually with conditions on transfer. Always read the grant terms.

If any plot you are considering has an unfamiliar class, ask the tehsil office what it means in that village, and whether transfers need a permission. On Himachal Pradesh, see Section 118 explained.

Officials and Offices

Land records are maintained by a ladder of revenue officials. Names change across states, and the order below is a simplified view.

• Patwari (पटवारी). The village-level record keeper in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. In Uttar Pradesh, the corresponding role is the lekhpal (लेखपाल). This is the first person to ask about a village record.
• Kanungo (कानूनगो). A supervisory revenue officer who oversees a group of patwaris and verifies mutations and field records.
• Tehsildar and naib tehsildar. Officers heading the tehsil, who decide mutations and many revenue matters. They also issue certificates and handle boundary demarcation requests.
• Sub-registrar. The officer who registers sale deeds and other documents under the Registration Act, 1908. This office keeps the registered deed, which is different from the revenue record at the tehsil.
• Collector or district magistrate. The district head, who handles appeals, conversions and acquisitions in many states.

If you are dealing with a family-held plot, expect to meet more than one of these officials, since a sale, a partition and an inheritance mutation can each pass through different desks. Keep the application receipt numbers; the portals and offices use them to trace a file.

Remember the two-track system: the sub-registrar records the transfer of ownership by deed, and the tehsil updates the revenue record afterwards by mutation. Both must line up.

Process Terms You Will See in Papers

• Registry (रजिस्ट्री). Everyday word for registration of a sale deed. When someone says the "registry is done" they mean the deed has been registered, which is not the same as mutation.
• Baina (बयाना) or agreement to sell. The advance and the contract that precedes the sale deed. It does not by itself transfer ownership. See the sale deed guide.
• Vasika (वसीका). A registered deed, particularly in Punjab and Haryana.
• Intkal (इंतकाल), dakhil-kharij (दाखिल-खारिज) and mutation. The entry that changes the name in the revenue record after sale, inheritance or partition. See the mutation guide.
• Nishandehi (निशानदेही). Physical demarcation of boundaries by revenue officials with reference to the map. See land demarcation.
• Takseem (तक़सीम). Partition of jointly held land. See partition explained.
• Kabza (कब्ज़ा). Possession. Physical possession is a separate fact from title, and both matter.
• Gair-kabzedar and encroachment. A person occupying land without right. For disputes, see boundary disputes and encroachment.

Units and Areas Across the Corridor

Land is measured in units that change from state to state, and sometimes within one state. Do not assume that a bigha in one state matches a bigha in another. This section only gives pointers.

• Punjab and Haryana: kanal, marla, killa and murabba. A killa is commonly taken as one acre, and a murabba as 25 killas. See kanal and marla.
• Uttar Pradesh: bigha, biswa and biswansi, with local standard varying by district. See bigha in Uttar Pradesh.
• Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh: bigha and biswa, with area per bigha differing.
• Uttarakhand: nali and mutthi in the hills, bigha in the plains.

Local units were fixed in different eras by different rulers and survey settlements, which is why the same word can hide different sizes. In disputes, the area recorded in the revenue record and the sale deed is what counts, so make sure both state the unit and the equivalent metric area. Always ask for the area in square metres or hectares from the record, and confirm the conversion in writing. See land measurement units in India.

Frequently Asked Questions