- Rahannama (रहननामा) is a mortgage of land — the land is pledged as security for a loan.
- It shows up as an entry against the khata in the Jamabandi. It does not always shout; sometimes it is one line in a remarks column.
- While it subsists, the owner cannot give clean, unencumbered title. A sale on top of a live mortgage is a problem waiting to arrive.
- A mortgage is not a reason to walk away. It is a reason to insist on documented release before, or simultaneously with, registration.
Somebody shows you a Jamabandi. The name is right, the area is right, the khasra matches the map. And in a column you did not look at closely, there is a word: रहननामा. That word can quietly cost you everything you are about to pay.
What a rahannama isरहननामा क्या है
A rahannama is a mortgage — land pledged as security for borrowed money. The owner keeps ownership; the lender gets a right over the land until the debt is cleared. In agricultural Rajasthan, the lender is very often a co-operative bank, a land development bank or a commercial bank against a crop or term loan, and sometimes a private party.
Because it is a right created over the land, it travels with the land. It does not evaporate because the land changed hands.
The kinds you will meetप्रकार
| Type | In plain words | What it means for a sale |
|---|---|---|
| Simple mortgage | Land pledged; the owner keeps possession and keeps farming | Sale possible once the loan is cleared and the entry released |
| Mortgage with possession (रहन बकब्ज़ा) | The lender or a third party holds possession until repayment | Harder — possession itself is with someone else; proceed only with legal advice |
| Bank charge / loan against land | An institutional lender’s charge noted in the record | Needs a written no-dues and release from that institution |
| Equitable / informal arrangement | Money taken privately with land “kept” as comfort | Most dangerous, because it may not appear in the record at all |
Where it appears in the recordरिकॉर्ड में कहाँ दिखेगा
In the Jamabandi, look for the encumbrance or remarks column against the khata — the place where charges, mortgages, court orders and stays are noted. Also read the mutation history: a mortgage is usually created and released through recorded entries, so the trail is visible if you look for it.
Why it blocks a clean saleक्यों रुकावट है
You are not just buying soil; you are buying title. If a lender holds a subsisting right over that land, what you receive is title with somebody else’s claim attached. In practice, three things go wrong:
Mutation stalls. Registration may happen, but getting the record changed into your name can run into the charge. And an unmutated buyer is a buyer with a receipt, not a record. See our mutation guide for why that gap matters so much.
The lender can act. A lender whose dues are unpaid has remedies against the land — regardless of your good faith or your payment to the seller.
Your own borrowing closes off. Any future loan against the land, and any onward sale, will hit the same entry you decided to overlook.
How it gets releasedमुक्त कैसे होता है
What to do as a buyerख़रीदार क्या करे
Take these five steps in order and a mortgage becomes a manageable fact rather than a trap.
Pull a fresh Jamabandi yourself and read the remarks column before you discuss price. Ask the seller directly and in writing whether any loan, mortgage, guarantee or private borrowing touches this land. Where a charge exists, insist on release before or simultaneous with registration, structured through the sale consideration if necessary. Have an advocate verify the release and the chain of title. Then pull one more fresh Jamabandi after mutation, to confirm the record now reads the way you were promised.
FAQ · अक्सर पूछे सवाल
Can I buy land that has a rahannama on it?
You can, but not safely while the mortgage subsists. The workable route is to have the debt cleared and the release recorded before or simultaneously with registration, verified by an advocate, followed by a fresh Jamabandi in your name after mutation.
Where does a mortgage show up in the Jamabandi?
In the encumbrance or remarks column against the khata, and usually also in the mutation history where the mortgage was created. Read both. A one-line entry is easy to skim past.
What if the seller says the loan was repaid years ago?
Then a release exists and the record should show it. Ask for the lender’s no-dues certificate and release deed, and pull a fresh Jamabandi dated after the release. Repayment without recorded release still leaves the entry visible.
Is a mortgage the same as a court stay on land?
No. A mortgage is a security right created by the owner. A stay or attachment comes from a court or authority. Both may appear in the same part of the record, and both stop a clean sale — but they are cleared through different routes.