Land in West Bengal is identified not by an address but by a mouza (মৌজা), a dag or plot number (দাগ), and a khatian number (খতিয়ান) which records the holding of a particular person. The record of rights maintained on these entries is published through Banglarbhumi. It records possession and the class of the land as understood by the revenue authority, and it is strong evidence of those things — but it is not a document of title, and an entry in a person’s name does not by itself prove ownership.
How a plot is described
A West Bengal record refers to four things, and a purchaser should be able to read all four from the papers.
The mouza (মৌজা) is the revenue village — the smallest unit of survey, each with its own map and its own JL number, the serial by which the mouza is identified within the district.
The dag (দাগ), also called the plot number, identifies a piece of land on the mouza map. A dag has an area and a recorded class. It does not correspond to a person.
The khatian (খতিয়ান) identifies a holding — the set of dags held by a particular raiyat in that mouza, with the extent of each and the share held. One khatian may cover several dags, and one dag may appear in several khatians where it is jointly held.
The parcha (পর্চা) is the certified extract of the record of rights issued to a holder. It is the document usually produced when a seller is asked for “the land papers”.
RS and LR records
Two generations of survey coexist in West Bengal, and confusing them is a common source of difficulty.
The Revisional Settlement record — the RS khatian and RS dag — comes from the settlement operations of the mid-twentieth century. Older deeds describe property by RS numbers.
The Land Reforms record — the LR khatian and LR dag — was prepared after the West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955 and is the record in current use. Most current entries, and the online record, are LR.
One RS plot may correspond to several LR plots, and the numbering does not follow across. Where a chain of deeds crosses the changeover, the identity of the land must be established by conversion of the RS description into the LR description against the mouza map, not by assuming that similar numbers refer to the same ground. A schedule in a deed that gives only RS particulars for land now recorded under LR is a defect worth curing before a sale, not after.
What the record contains
For each holding the record of rights shows the recorded holder or holders and the share of each, the dags comprised in the holding with the area of each, the classification of each dag — the recorded character of the land, such as sali (সালি), danga, bastu (বাস্তু), pukur or doba — the revenue assessed, and any note of a recorded bargadar, a vesting, or a restriction. The classification governs what may lawfully be done with the land, and altering the use without permission is a contravention of the Act. That is dealt with in the guide to land classification and conversion.
What the record does not establish
This is the point on which purchasers are most often misled.
The record of rights is prepared by the revenue authority for revenue purposes. It is presumptive evidence of possession and of the state of affairs it records; it is not a conveyance and it does not confer title. An entry may be obtained on documents that are themselves defective. Equally, a person with perfectly good title may not appear in the record at all, because mutation was never applied for.
It follows that a record of rights and a chain of registered deeds are two different enquiries, and both are necessary. The record tells you what the revenue authority believes; the deeds tell you what was actually transferred and by whom. Where the two diverge, the divergence is the thing to investigate.
Where the records are held
The online record of rights, mouza maps, plot information and the status of applications for mutation and conversion are published on banglarbhumi.gov.in. The offices that hold and correct the records are the office of the Block Land and Land Reforms Officer for the block, above it the Sub-Divisional or Divisional Land and Land Reforms Officer, and above that the District Land and Land Reforms Officer.
Registered deeds are a separate record altogether, held by the Directorate of Registration and Stamp Revenue and searchable through the e-Nathikaran system. Within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area much land is not held on a revenue khatian at all, and the relevant public record is the Corporation’s assessment register rather than a record of rights.
Reading an area
Areas in West Bengal records are given in local units — bigha, katha or cottah, chatak, and decimal — rather than in square feet, and the conversions are set out in the glossary. A discrepancy between the area in the deed, the area in the khatian and the area on the ground is one of the commonest defects in a title, and one of the easiest to detect before money changes hands.
Frequently asked questions
Does my name in the khatian mean I own the land?
No. The record of rights is evidence of possession and of what the revenue authority has recorded. Title depends on the deeds, and a suit for declaration of title is decided on those, not on the entry.
What is the difference between a khatian and a dag number?
A dag identifies a piece of land. A khatian identifies a holding — which dags a particular person holds, and in what share.
My old deed gives RS numbers and the current record gives LR numbers. Is that a problem?
It is a matter to be resolved rather than ignored. The RS description must be converted to the LR description against the mouza map so that the land in the deed and the land in the record are shown to be the same.
Is the online record conclusive?
No. It reflects the entries as corrected up to the date shown. A certified extract from the office, and an inspection of the mouza map, remain necessary where anything turns on the record.
This page describes how the records are organised in general terms. What a particular entry means for a particular property depends on the entry, the map and the deeds read together, and nothing here is advice on any specific holding.