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How to Read a Bhu Naksha Map (2026)
What a village cadastral map shows, how to read a plot on it step by step, and what a buyer should check against the ground.
A Bhu Naksha is the revenue department's drawing of every field in a village. Read it correctly and you can confirm where your land is, what touches it and whether the paper matches the ground. This guide shows the steps.
What a Bhu Naksha map is, and what it is not
A Bhu Naksha (เคญเฅ-เคจเคเฅเคถเคพ) is the village cadastral map: a drawing in which every field carries a number and a boundary. It is the revenue department's picture of how the village is divided. Our general explainer on the Bhu Naksha cadastral map covers the idea. This page is about reading one in practice.
The map answers a question that the ownership record cannot: where exactly is this land, what touches it, and does the shape on paper match the ground? The ownership record, the jamabandi or khatauni, tells you who is recorded. The map tells you where. You need both. If you want the ownership side first, read how to read a jamabandi line by line.
A map is a revenue record, not a surveyor's certificate. Boundaries rest on the original survey and later corrections. Fields may have been divided, merged or encroached upon since the drawing was made, so a map is the start of a boundary check and not the end of it.
Where to get the map in each state
Access differs by state, and several states do not offer a public online map for every village. We keep state-specific guides with what we could and could not confirm on the official portals.
| State | Our guide | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | Bhu Naksha UP | See the guide for the portal we checked |
| Haryana | Bhu Naksha Haryana | See the guide for what is and is not online |
| Punjab | Bhu Naksha Punjab and e-Naksha Punjab | We could not confirm a dedicated Punjab e-Naksha portal |
| Rajasthan | Apna Khata overview | Map access is linked to the state land records system |
If your state is not listed, start with our guide to checking land records online in India. Where no online map exists, the patwari or the tehsil record room is the usual source of a map copy. We could not confirm a uniform fee or turnaround, so ask for the current fee and a receipt.
The parts of a map sheet
Layouts vary, but most village sheets share the same elements. Find each before you try to read the plot.
- Village name and sheet identifier. Confirm it is the right village. Several villages share similar names within a district.
- North arrow. Orient yourself first. A map held the wrong way is the commonest cause of "that is not my field" confusion.
- Scale. Many sheets print a scale or show a measured bar. We could not confirm a single standard scale across states, so read what is printed on your sheet and do not assume.
- Field boundaries and numbers. Each closed shape is a numbered parcel. The number is the khasra or killa number.
- Linking features. Paths (rasta), roads, canals, drains, water courses, habitation (abadi) areas and sometimes trees or wells are marked with conventional symbols. A legend or key may explain them. We could not confirm one national legend.
- Sub-numbers. A parcel that was later split may show numbers like 45/1 and 45/2. The way sub-numbers are formed is a local practice and we could not confirm a uniform rule.
How to read a plot on the map, step by step
- Take the khasra number from the ownership record. The jamabandi or khatauni names the field you are buying. See khasra and khatauni explained.
- Find that number on the sheet. If it is missing, check for sub-numbers, a renumbering, or a neighbouring sheet. Do not assume the number is a typing error.
- Trace the boundary. Note the number of sides, the longest side, and whether the shape is regular or irregular.
- Read the neighbours. List the khasra numbers on each side. Compare with what the seller says about the adjoining owners.
- Look for access. Does the parcel touch a road or path, or is it surrounded by other fields? A landlocked parcel needs a documented right of way.
- Look for features inside or on the edge. A canal, drain or path cutting through can mean part of the area is not usable for farming.
- Compare size. Use the scale to roughly check that the drawn size is in line with the area recorded. The match will rarely be exact. A large gap is a question to ask.
- Take it to the field. Walk the boundary with the map and the patwari if possible. Check that corners, paths and neighbours exist.
Photograph the map and the field together
Take a dated photo of the map sheet and then of the land with the same khasra number noted in the frame. If a dispute arises later, you have a simple record of what you were shown and when.
An illustrative example
The numbers below are invented to show the method. They do not describe any real land.
| Item | On the record (illustrative) | What the map shows (illustrative) | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khasra | Killa 45 | Parcel marked 45, with 45/1 and 45/2 inside | Ask which part is for sale |
| Area | 12 kanal 5 marla | Looks smaller than neighbouring parcel 46 of 14 kanal | Plausible, check by measurement |
| Access | Not recorded | Parcel touches a path on the east side | Access exists on paper; check on the ground |
| Neighbours | Seller says: canal on north | Parcel 43 on the north, canal two parcels away | Seller description does not match |
The last row is the kind of mismatch that justifies a formal measurement before paying a token amount. It does not prove bad faith. It proves that the seller and the map disagree, and someone needs to find out why.
When the map and the ground disagree
Mismatches come from four sources: the map is old, the field was divided or merged without redrawing, a boundary was moved or encroached, or the seller is pointing at the wrong field. The remedy depends on which it is.
- If the record is wrong, an application to correct the error goes to the revenue office. In Uttar Pradesh, section 38 of the Revenue Code 2006 covers correction of errors in the map, khasra and khatauni, with corrections to the map decided by the Collector. See correcting errors in online land records.
- In Rajasthan, section 131 of the Land Revenue Act 1956 says the Land Records Officer maintains the map and field book and corrects errors shown to have been made in them.
- If the ground boundary is disputed, ask the revenue department for a formal measurement. We could not confirm the fee or timeline in each state.
- If the seller is pointing at the wrong field, stop and re-check the khasra number with the patwari.
Buyer checklist before you rely on a map
- The khasra number on the map equals the number in the ownership record and in the draft sale deed.
- The village and sheet are right.
- You know which sub-number or part is being sold.
- Access to a road or path exists on the map and on the ground.
- No unexplained canal, drain or road passes through the parcel.
- Neighbouring parcel numbers match what the seller says.
- You have walked the boundary with the map in hand.
- Land-use rules for your state have been checked; see state-wise agricultural land purchase rules.
For the rest of the pre-purchase checks, use our land due diligence checklist and how to verify land title. The next page in this series is how to match a khasra number to a plot on the map.
What is unconfirmed
We could not confirm a uniform scale or legend across states, fee and turnaround for map copies in each state, which villages have digitised maps, or whether an online view is accepted as a certified copy in each state. Where a state guide says a feature was not confirmed, that statement stands here as well. Treat any screenshot or private-site map as an aid, not as evidence.
