Khasra and khatauni

Two views of the same land

एक ही ज़मीन — दो नज़रिए

The revenue system records land twice, from two directions. Understanding this makes the whole document set fall into place.

The khasra view is plot-first. It starts from the land: this numbered field, of this area, of this class, with these features, currently held by whom and cultivated by whom. Every parcel in the village has a khasra number, including paths, ponds and rocky ground.

The khatauni view is holder-first. It starts from the person: this holder, holding these khasras, under this khata, of this total area, on these terms. It is the statement of a holding.

The same facts appear in both, organised differently. When you are assessing a specific field you work from the khasra. When you are assessing what a person owns, you work from the khatauni. Confusing the two is how buyers end up believing a seller owns a parcel he merely appears next to.

What the khasra record carries

खसरा में क्या दर्ज होता है

Subdivision — how a number becomes several

खसरा कैसे बँटता है

When a plot is divided — by partition among heirs, by sale of a part, or by an official division — the original number does not disappear. It acquires sub-numbers. Khasra 218 divided in two becomes 218/1 and 218/2. Those can subdivide again into 218/2/1 and so on.

Three consequences follow, and all three cause real losses.

The parent number may still be quoted. Sellers, brokers and even old documents keep referring to “khasra 218” long after it has become four parcels in three hands. When you are told a khasra number, always ask whether it is subdivided and obtain the current position.

The areas must reconcile. The sub-numbered parcels should add back to the parent area. Where they do not, something has been recorded wrongly or a portion has been carved out that nobody is mentioning.

Subdivision on paper and on the ground can differ. A family may have divided the land physically years before the record was updated, or the record may show a division that was never marked out. The map, covered in Lesson 4, is where you check this.

Cross-checking khasra against jamabandi

खसरा और जमाबंदी मिलाना

The two records should agree. Where they do not, you have found something worth pursuing. Run these five checks:

• Does the khasra appear under the khata the seller claims? If the plot sits under a different khata, the seller does not hold it.
• Do the areas match? A discrepancy between the khasra area and the area credited in the jamabandi points to a subdivision, a correction, or an error.
• Does the class of land match? Differences suggest one record has been updated and the other has not.
• Does the cultivation entry name the same person as the holding? If someone else is recorded as cultivating, find out who and on what basis. This is Lesson 3.
• Is the parent or sub-number consistent across both? Mixed references to 218 and 218/2 across documents are a signal to slow down.

Why the number is the anchor

नंबर ही असली पहचान है

Everything else about a parcel is soft. Names are spelt three ways and shared by cousins. Areas are quoted in whichever bigha suits the speaker. Boundaries are described by reference to a neighbour who sold up in 2009. Directions are given relative to a tree.

The khasra number is the one hard identifier. It ties the parcel to the map, to the jamabandi, to the mutation register, to the deed, and to any court record. Every document you handle in this business should carry it, spelt out with sub-numbers, and every one of them should carry the same one.

Get into the habit of writing, at the top of every file: village, tehsil, district, khasra number(s), area as recorded, khata number. Six items. If you cannot fill all six, you do not yet know which land you are discussing.