One state, four different records
More people in India search for “land record Bihar” than for the land record of any other state — Google Trends puts Bihar at the top of regional interest for the term, ahead of Jharkhand, Assam and Punjab. That volume is mostly one question asked four ways, and the four answers live in four different places.
The Khatiyan is the settlement record: plots against holders, as at the survey that produced it. The Jamabandi is the running register kept since. The registered deed is what actually transferred the land, and it is held by the registration department, not the revenue department. The map is a fourth record again. A seller who shows you one of these and calls it proof has shown you a quarter of the picture.
What the record of rights does not tell you
This is the part that costs people money. A record of rights names who the revenue department has recorded. It does not say:
- Whether the plot is mortgaged. Charges are registered, not recorded in revenue.
- Whether the deed chain is clean. A gap in the chain is not visible on a Jamabandi.
- What may be built on it. Master plan and land use sit with the town planning or development authority.
- Whether the municipal body has dues against it, or whether a building plan was ever sanctioned.
We built a directory of the portal for each of those, for all 28 states and 8 union territories, with the date each address was last opened. Bihar’s entry carries its registration portal, its RERA, its rate lookup and its land-records service, and it records plainly that two state urban-development addresses could not be reached on the day of checking and that no statewide land-conversion portal was verified. An empty field is more useful than a guess.
Two things that changed recently
Our check of 25 September 2026 recorded that RERA Bihar announced a new project filing system from 1 February 2026, and that the Patna Metropolitan Area Authority, formed in 2014, succeeded the dissolved Patna Regional Development Authority — so PRDA-era references in older guides may be stale. We record what could be confirmed on the day, and we date it.
The look-alike problem
Bihar attracts imitation sites. Our directory lists three for Bihar alone and prints them as plain text on purpose: they are not linked there, and they should not be opened. The rule that protects you is simple — before you type anything into a records page, check the address bar reads .gov.in or .nic.in.
What to do, in order
- Read the record of rights and note the khata and plot numbers as the record spells them.
- Search the registered deed chain on the state registration portal.
- Run an encumbrance check for the period that matters to you.
- Check land use and any master plan that covers the location.
- Ask the municipal or panchayat body about dues and sanctions.
- Take all of it to a local advocate before any money moves.
Nothing here is legal advice, and nothing here replaces reading the official record yourself on the day you act. Portal addresses change often. See also what your land record is called in each state.
Questions people actually ask
Is the Jamabandi the same as the Khatiyan in Bihar?
No. The Khatiyan is the survey record prepared at settlement, listing plots against holders as they stood at that survey. The Jamabandi is the running register of rent and holding maintained since. A Khatiyan entry can be decades old; a Jamabandi reflects what the revenue office has recorded more recently.
Does a name on the Bihar record prove ownership?
No. India does not have conclusive land titling. A record-of-rights entry raises a presumption that can be rebutted in court. The registered deed chain is a separate record, kept by a separate department, on a separate portal.
Where do I check whether a Bihar plot is mortgaged?
Not on the land record. Charges sit with registration, not revenue, and an encumbrance search is the check. Our verification directory lists the portal for each, with the date it was last opened.
Are sites like bhulekhjankari.com official?
No. Those are private sites that imitate a government portal. Before entering anything, check the address bar reads .gov.in or .nic.in.