Glossary
Land words, explained like a friend would.
Indian land paperwork is full of words that change from state to state. Here’s what they mean — in one sentence first, then in a bit more detail.
Land records
- 7/12 extract
- Also: Satbara, Satbara utara, 7/12 utara
- The 7/12 (Satbara) extract is the land record of rights in Maharashtra and Gujarat, combining Village Form 7 (ownership) and Form 12 (cultivation and crops) for a survey number.
- Demarcation
- Also: Nishandehi, Hadbandi, Paimaish, Land measurement
- Demarcation is the official measurement of a plot by the revenue or survey department to fix its boundaries on the ground according to the village map and records.
- Encumbrance certificate
- Also: EC, Form 15, Form 16 (nil encumbrance)
- An encumbrance certificate (EC) is issued by the sub-registrar’s office and lists registered transactions — such as sales, mortgages and gifts — on a property over a chosen period.
- Fard
- Also: Fard jamabandi, Certified copy of jamabandi
- A fard is a certified copy of the jamabandi (record of rights) in Punjab, issued by a Fard Kendra or service centre and accepted by courts, banks and registrars.
- Ferfar
- Also: Ferfar nond, Mutation entry (Maharashtra), Village Form 6, e-Ferfar, Hakk patrak (Gujarat)
- Ferfar is Maharashtra’s word for a mutation entry — the numbered change recorded by the talathi in the mutation register (Village Form 6) before the 7/12 extract is updated.
- Girdawari
- Also: Khasra girdawari, Crop inspection
- Girdawari is the regular crop inspection in which the patwari records, for each field, what crop is grown and who is cultivating it, usually once each season.
- Jamabandi
- Also: Record of rights, Nakal (Haryana), Register II (Bihar)
- A jamabandi is the record of rights for land in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Rajasthan and other states, showing the owners, cultivators, shares and area of each holding.
- Khasra
- Also: Khasra number, Gata number, Survey number, Killa number
- A khasra is the unique number given to a single plot or field on the village revenue map in north India, used to identify that land in every record.
- Khata
- Also: Khata number, Khata certificate, Khata extract, A-khata / B-khata, e-Khata, Khewat (Punjab & Haryana)
- Khata means account. In Karnataka it is a property’s municipal tax account; in north Indian land records, a khata number groups all land held by one owner or family.
- Khatauni
- Also: Khata, B-1 (Madhya Pradesh), Record of rights
- A khatauni is the land account that lists who holds land in a village and which khasra numbers belong to each holder, used mainly in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
- Khatian
- Also: Khatiyan, Record of Rights (ROR)
- A khatian is the record of rights in West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand, listing an owner’s plots (dag or plot numbers), their share and the land’s classification.
- Mutation
- Also: Intkal, Dakhil-kharij, Ferfar, Namantaran, Pokkuvaravu, Patta transfer
- Mutation is the process of updating the government land revenue record after land changes hands by sale, gift or inheritance. It records the change but is not proof of title.
- Patta
- Also: Patta-Chitta, Patta number
- A patta is a revenue document in Tamil Nadu and other southern states that records who holds a piece of land, issued by the revenue department under a patta number.
- RTC / Pahani
- Also: Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops, Pahani, Adangal
- The RTC (Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops), also called Pahani, is Karnataka’s land record showing owner, cultivator, area, land type and crops for each survey number.
- Shajra
- Also: Shajra kishtwar, Shajra nasab, Naksha, Latha (Punjab cloth map), Village map
- Shajra usually means the shajra kishtwar — the village revenue map showing every numbered field. Shajra nasab is a different record: the landholders’ family tree kept with the jamabandi.
Legal terms
- Adverse possession
- Also: Hostile possession, 12-year rule
- Adverse possession lets someone who has openly, continuously and hostilely possessed private land for 12 years claim title to it under Article 65 of the Limitation Act, 1963.
- Ancestral property
- Also: Jaddi zameen (Punjabi), Pushtaini zameen, Coparcenary property, Joint family property
- In Hindu law, ancestral property is undivided property inherited through up to four generations in the male line, in which sons and, since 2005, daughters have a birthright.
- FEMA
- Also: Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999, NDI Rules 2019, RBI rules for NRIs
- FEMA, the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999, and the rules made under it decide what Indian property NRIs and OCIs may buy, inherit, receive, sell and repatriate.
- Gift deed
- Also: Hibanama (Muslim law), Daan patra, Bakshish patra (Marathi), Tamlik
- A gift deed transfers property from one living person to another without payment. For land or buildings, it must be registered, stamped and accepted while the giver is alive.
- Kabza
- Also: Possession, Illegal kabza, Encroachment
- Kabza means physical possession of land. ‘Illegal kabza’ is the everyday term for someone occupying or using land that isn’t theirs without the owner’s permission.
- Legal heir certificate
- Also: Varisan praman patra, Heirship certificate, Survivorship certificate, Varasat certificate, Family member certificate
- A legal heir certificate is an official document, usually issued by the tehsildar or revenue office, naming the surviving family members of a person who has died.
- Partition
- Also: Batwara, Vanta / vandi (Punjabi), Wattap (Marathi), Partition deed, Family settlement
- Partition is the legal division of jointly owned or inherited property so that each co-owner gets a separate, defined portion in their own name instead of an undivided share.
- Power of attorney
- Also: POA, GPA (general power of attorney), SPA (special power of attorney), Mukhtiarnama
- A power of attorney is a legal document authorising another person to act on your behalf — for example, to manage, lease or sell your land.
- Probate
- Also: Probate of will, Letters of administration (when no executor), Wasiyatnama probate
- Probate is a court’s certified confirmation that a will is genuine and valid, granted to the executor named in it under the Indian Succession Act, 1925.
- Relinquishment deed
- Also: Release deed, Haq tyag patra, Hakk sod patra (Marathi), Tyag patra
- A relinquishment deed is a registered document in which a co-owner, usually an heir, gives up their share of jointly held property in favour of the other co-owners.
- Sale deed
- Also: Conveyance deed, Bainama (north India), Registry, Kharid-khat (Maharashtra), Kraya patra
- A sale deed is the registered document that transfers ownership of property from seller to buyer. In India, a sale of immovable property worth ₹100 or more must be registered.
- Succession certificate
- Also: Varasat praman patra, Uttaradhikar praman patra
- A succession certificate is a civil court certificate under the Indian Succession Act, 1925 letting heirs collect a deceased person’s debts and securities, such as deposits and shares.
Money, tax & stamp duty
- Circle rate
- Also: Ready reckoner rate (Maharashtra), Guidance value (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu), DLC rate (Rajasthan), Collector rate (Punjab, Haryana), Jantri (Gujarat), Market value (AP, Telangana), Fair value (Kerala)
- The circle rate is the minimum value the state government sets for land and buildings in each area, used to calculate stamp duty and to check declared prices.
- Form 145 / Form 146
- Also: Form 15CA / 15CB (before April 2026), Form 145 (remitter’s declaration), Form 146 (CA certificate)
- Forms 145 and 146 are the income-tax forms for sending money abroad from India, replacing Forms 15CA and 15CB from 1 April 2026: a remitter’s declaration and a CA’s certificate.
- Lower TDS certificate
- Also: Lower deduction certificate, Nil TDS certificate, Section 395 certificate, Form 128 (formerly Form 13), Section 197 certificate
- A lower TDS certificate from the income-tax officer lets a buyer deduct tax on an NRI seller’s actual gain, not the full price. Apply on Form 128 (formerly Form 13).
- NRO account
- Also: Non-Resident Ordinary account, NRO savings account, NRO rupee account
- An NRO (Non-Resident Ordinary) account is an Indian rupee bank account for NRIs to receive and manage income earned in India, such as rent, pension or property sale proceeds.
- Stamp duty
- Also: Stamp duty and registration charges, e-Stamp paper, Registration fee
- Stamp duty is a state tax on documents such as sale deeds, gift deeds and powers of attorney; without it, a document can’t be registered or relied on in court.
Offices & officials
- Patwari
- Also: Lekhpal (UP), Talathi (Maharashtra), Village Accountant / VAO (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu), Halka patwari, Karamchari (Bihar), Village revenue officer
- A patwari is the village-level revenue official who keeps the land records, village map and crop register for a group of villages and reports to the tehsildar.
- Sub-registrar
- Also: Sub-registrar office (SRO), Registrar office, Registry office, Joint sub-registrar
- A sub-registrar is the official who registers property documents such as sale deeds, gift deeds, mortgages and powers of attorney under the Registration Act, 1908, and keeps the records.
- Tehsildar
- Also: Tahsildar, Mamlatdar (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa), Taluk Tahsildar, Naib tehsildar (deputy), Circle officer (Bihar, Jharkhand)
- A tehsildar is the revenue officer in charge of a tehsil or taluk — overseeing land records, mutations, demarcation and certificates, and acting as a revenue court.
Satellites & technology
- NDVI
- Also: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Vegetation index
- NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) is a satellite measure of how green and healthy vegetation is, calculated from red and near-infrared light, ranging from −1 to +1.
- SAR (radar imagery)
- Also: Synthetic Aperture Radar, Sentinel-1, Radar satellite
- SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) is a satellite imaging method that sends out microwave pulses and records their echoes, so it can see the ground through clouds, day or night.
- Sentinel-2
- Also: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA optical satellite
- Sentinel-2 is a European Space Agency (Copernicus) satellite mission providing free optical imagery of Earth at up to 10 m resolution, revisiting each location about every 5 days.
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