Land Record Words in English: Kabza, Khatauni, Fard & 50 More

Kabza means possession in English: who is actually on and using the land. Khatauni is the record of rights, khasra is the plot or survey number, fard is a certified copy of the land record, and intkal or dakhil kharij is mutation, the change of name in the record.

If you grew up abroad, the words your family and the patwari use can sound like a different language, because they are. Most come from Persian and Urdu revenue language, with local words layered on top in every state. Search any word below, in any spelling, to see the English.

What do common land record words mean in English?

Type a word the way you heard it. The dictionary matches common misspellings, and links to a fuller explanation where we have one.

What do the words for land records mean?

Almost every state has one main record that says who holds which land. In English it is called the record of rights (RoR). The local name changes with the state, but the idea does not.

Inside each record, two numbers matter most. The khasra (or survey, gat or dag number) identifies the piece of land. The khata (or khewat, account or patta number) identifies whose account it sits in. Khata sankhya in Hindi simply means account number. Hadbast is the number of the village itself in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal records.

So "khasra number ko English mein kya bolte hain?" The answer is plot number or survey number. And "khatauni ko English mein kya kahte hain?" The answer is record of rights. Our guide to khasra, khatauni and jamabandi shows where each number sits on the page.

Who are the people and offices?

The land record is kept by a village-level official the north calls the patwari. A halka patwari is simply the patwari for one halka, a circle of villages. Above them sits an inspector, then the tehsildar.

• Patwari, lekhpal, talathi, village accountant, VAO: the same job under different state names. In English: village accountant or village revenue official.
• Kanungo or girdawar: the inspector who supervises patwaris. "Girdawar post in English" is land records inspector or revenue inspector.
• Naib tehsildar, tehsildar, mamlatdar: the revenue officers who run the tehsil or taluka office and decide most mutations.
• Sub-registrar: a separate office that registers deeds. In English the same word is used.

Our map of who does what explains which office handles which task, state by state.

What do the words for documents and changes mean?

The biggest group of words is about how land changes hands. Here they are in plain English:

• Mutation: intkal, dakhil kharij, namantaran, ferfar, varsai (by inheritance) and pokkuvaravu all mean the same thing: updating the name in the revenue record. Mutation does not prove ownership on its own. Read how mutation works.
• Sale deed: bainama, or simply "the registry".
• Gift deed: daan patra; in Punjabi and Urdu usage, bakhshish nama; for Muslims, hiba or hibanama.
• Relinquishment deed: haq tyag patra, giving up your share, usually to a sibling.
• Power of attorney: mukhtarnama, or aam mukhtar for a general one.
• Certified copy: nakal, and in Punjab and Haryana a fard.

For how gift, will and relinquishment differ in practice, see gift deed vs will vs relinquishment deed.

What do kabza and the dispute words mean?

Kabza means possession. "Zameen par kabza karna" in English is "to take possession of land", and in daily use it nearly always means to grab or occupy land that is not yours. The fuller phrases are avaidh kabza or najayaz kabza, illegal possession.

Possession and ownership are different things. You can own land on paper while someone else has kabza on the ground. That gap is where most family disputes and adverse possession claims begin.

• Atikraman: encroachment, building or farming over your boundary.
• Nishandehi, seemankan, paimaish, mojani: demarcation and measurement, the official way to settle where your boundary is.
• Girdawari: the crop inspection record, which shows who is cultivating. A stranger's name in the girdawari column is an early warning.

If you think someone has kabza of your land, start with what to do if your land is encroached.

What do the family and inheritance words mean?

Inheritance is how most NRIs come to own land in India, so these words matter most.

• Pushtaini zameen: ancestral land, passed down the generations. In English, ancestral property. It has special rules for who gets a share, explained in ancestral vs self-acquired property.
• Virasat or warasat: inheritance. A virasat intkal is a mutation by inheritance.
• Warisan praman patra: legal heir certificate, issued by the revenue authorities.
• Uttaradhikar praman patra: succession certificate, issued by a civil court.
• Vasiyat: a will.
• Batwara: partition between co-owners.
• Shajra nasab: the family tree of landowners kept with the record.

The legal heir and succession certificates are often confused. Our guide on legal heir vs succession certificate explains when you need which.

How do you use these words when talking to a patwari from abroad?

Use the local word with the English in brackets, and always quote the numbers. A patwari or tehsil clerk will recognise "khasra 245, khata 112, village X" faster than any description.

1. 1

   Collect your numbers first

   Village or mauza, tehsil, district, khasra or survey number, and khata or khewat number. They are on an old record copy, a tax receipt or your deed.
2. 2

   Ask for the exact document by its local name

   "Please share the latest fard (certified copy of jamabandi) for khewat 112" gets a clearer answer than "please send my land papers".
3. 3

   Ask one precise question

   For example: "Is any intkal (mutation) pending on khasra 245?" or "Who is shown in the girdawari for the last harvest?"
4. 4

   Put it in writing

   Send the same question by email or a letter through a relative or lawyer, so there is a dated record. Keep a copy.

A relative in India can look at most public records for you without any power of attorney. If you call the tehsil yourself, check the time difference first and ring during India's weekday office hours.

How do you keep an eye on these records from far away?

Learn the three words that signal trouble: a new intkal or dakhil kharij you did not apply for, a new name in the khatauni or jamabandi, and someone else's kabza on the ground. Catching any of them early gives you time to object.

PlotPehra checks the official land record every week in 19 states for a new mutation, a new owner or a changed share or area, and watches the land itself in Sentinel-2 satellite images for clearing, digging or new building. A real person reviews every change and explains it in plain English and your home language, by email and WhatsApp. No power of attorney, ever.

Meanings here are the general ones. A word can carry a slightly different meaning in a particular state's law, so for anything you will sign or file, check with a local property lawyer.