The tehsil office explained: what the Tehsildar does and how it differs by stateतहसील कार्यालय — तहसीलदार क्या करता है, राज्यों में क्या फ़र्क़ है

Why the tehsil matters to anyone who owns or buys land

Almost every land question in rural India ends up at one office. The copy of the record you need, the mutation that puts your name in it, the demarcation that settles a boundary, the partition that turns a family's joint khata into separate holdings — all of these run through the tehsil. Our guide to who holds which land record maps the offices for Rajasthan. This page explains the tehsil itself: what it is, who works there, what it does, how it fits into the district, and how the same work is organised under different names across India.

What a tehsil is

A district is divided into revenue sub-divisions, and those into tehsils. A tehsil groups a number of villages under one revenue office, headed by a Tehsildar. It is the level at which most citizens actually meet the revenue administration.

The unit goes by different names:

Who works there

• Tehsildar. The officer in charge of the tehsil's revenue administration, and a revenue court for the matters the state law assigns to that rank.
• Naib Tehsildar. Assists the Tehsildar and exercises delegated powers; larger tehsils have more than one.
• Kanungo or Revenue Inspector. Supervises a circle of village-level officials, checks their work and handles inspections. In Rajasthan this post is still widely called the girdawar.
• Village-level official. The person who keeps the working record for a group of villages: the patwari in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana; the lekhpal in Uttar Pradesh; the talathi in Maharashtra and Gujarat; the village administrative officer (VAO) in Tamil Nadu; and the revenue karmachari in Bihar.

What a tehsil office typically does

• Copies of land records. The record of rights under its local name — jamabandi in Rajasthan and Punjab, khatauni in Uttar Pradesh, the 7/12 extract in Maharashtra, patta and chitta in Tamil Nadu. Many are now online, but a certified copy is still issued through the revenue system.
• Mutation. Updating the record after a sale, inheritance, gift or court order — namantaran in Rajasthan, dakhil-kharij in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. See our mutation guide.
• Demarcation. Fixing boundaries on the ground against the map — seemankan or paimaish — usually on application, with notice to neighbours.
• Partition in revenue matters. Dividing a joint agricultural holding into separate shares. Our batwara guide explains the mutual and contested routes.
• Revenue court cases. Matters under the state's land revenue and tenancy laws, heard by revenue officers sitting as courts.
• Certificates. In many states, caste, income, domicile and residence certificates are issued at tehsil or SDM level, often applied for online or through a service centre.
• Land revenue and dues. Collection of land revenue where it is levied, and recovery of other government dues as arrears of land revenue.
• Crop inspection. The seasonal record of what is grown and by whom — girdawari in Rajasthan. See our girdawari guide.
• Disaster relief. Assessment of crop and property loss after drought, hail or flood, often through a special crop inspection, which feeds relief and compensation.

Where the tehsil sits in the hierarchy

The revenue administration is layered, and appeals and supervision move up the same ladder:

• Village — the patwari or equivalent keeps the working record.
• Circle — the Kanungo or Revenue Inspector supervises several village officials.
• Tehsil — the Tehsildar and Naib Tehsildars.
• Sub-division — the Sub-Divisional Officer or Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDO/SDM). In some states the sub-division and the tehsil cover the same area.
• District — the Collector (also District Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner in some states).
• Division — the Divisional Commissioner, where the state has divisions.
• State — a Board of Revenue where one exists, such as the Board of Revenue for Rajasthan at Ajmer; in other states the final revenue forum is organised differently.

How the same work is split in different states

These notes are deliberately brief. They are a starting point for finding the right counter, not a full account of any state's system.

• Maharashtra. The talathi keeps the village record, the tahsildar heads the taluka, and the key record is the 7/12 extract (satbara).
• Tamil Nadu. The VAO works at village level, the taluk office is headed by a tahsildar, and ownership is shown in the patta.
• Karnataka. Land records were computerised under Bhoomi, and record copies have long been issued at Bhoomi centres in taluk offices.
• Bihar. The circle office (anchal karyalay), headed by the circle officer (anchal adhikari), does the work a tehsil does elsewhere, including dakhil-kharij. Our Bihar land record guide explains its four records.
• West Bengal. Land records and mutation are handled by the Block Land and Land Reforms Officer (BL&LRO).
• Punjab. The patwari's fard and jamabandi, with the tehsil above. See our Punjab land record guide.
• Cities. Within municipal limits or a development authority's area, many functions — layouts, leases, building permission, property tax — sit with the development authority or the municipal body rather than the tehsil.

Names and splits vary; check your state's revenue department. Our state-wise directory lists the land record portals for all 36 states and union territories, and the verification directory lists registration, RERA, master-plan and municipal portals alongside them.

Rajasthan in more depth

In Rajasthan the ladder runs from the patwari's halka, through the girdawar circle, to the tehsil, then the SDO, the Collector and the Divisional Commissioner, with the Board of Revenue for Rajasthan at Ajmer at the top of the revenue side. The main laws are the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act, 1956 and the Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955.

• Patwari halka. Your khasra sits in exactly one halka. The patwari keeps the jamabandi entries and the girdawari and makes the first report on most applications.
• Girdawar circle. The girdawar supervises several halkas and checks entries and inspections.
• Tehsil. Mutation orders, record corrections, demarcation, and many revenue cases. See the Rajasthan land guide for the wider picture.
• e-Mitra. Many applications — mutation, certificates and others — are filed through e-Mitra kiosks rather than at the tehsil counter. Keep the printed acknowledgement.
• Record copies. The jamabandi can be viewed on the state's portal, known as apnakhata. Our Apna Khata walkthrough shows the steps and explains the difference between an information copy and a signed one.

Revenue courts and civil courts

Revenue officers from the Tehsildar upwards also sit as revenue courts. They decide matters the land revenue and tenancy laws assign to them: correction of entries, partition of agricultural holdings, tenancy and khatedari questions, and appeals from lower revenue officers. Civil courts decide disputes not given to revenue courts, such as many title and contract claims. The line between the two is drawn by each state's law and depends on the relief sought, and filing in the wrong forum costs time. Our legal help page explains how to find an advocate who works in the right court.

Practical tips for a tehsil visit

• Know your identifiers. District, tehsil, village, khasra and khata numbers, and which patwari's halka the land is in.
• Carry documents and copies. Identity proof, the latest record copy, the registered deed or succession papers, and photocopies of everything.
• Get a receipt for everything. Every application and every payment should leave you with a written or printed acknowledgement carrying a number and a date.
• Pay only official fees. Never pay informal fees. Anyone offering to arrange a result for money is a warning sign, not a service.
• Verify officers only at the office. Deal with officials at the tehsil or through official channels. Do not rely on someone who calls or approaches you claiming to be from the tehsil.
• Follow up in writing. If an application stalls, a written reminder quoting your acknowledgement number creates a record that a phone call does not.

Questions we are asked about this

What is a tehsil?

A tehsil is the revenue sub-division of a district, grouping a number of villages under one revenue office headed by a Tehsildar. The same unit is called a taluka or taluk in some states, a mandal in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and a circle or anchal in Bihar, while West Bengal handles land records at block level.

What services does a tehsil office provide?

Typically copies of land records, mutation of the record after a sale or inheritance, demarcation of boundaries, partition of agricultural holdings in revenue matters, revenue court cases under the state's land revenue and tenancy law, collection of land revenue and other dues, crop inspection records, and assessment for disaster relief. In many states, caste, income, domicile and residence certificates are also issued at tehsil or SDM level.

Who is the Tehsildar and who is the Naib Tehsildar?

The Tehsildar is the officer in charge of the tehsil's revenue administration and also sits as a revenue court for certain matters. The Naib Tehsildar assists the Tehsildar and exercises delegated powers. Below them, a Kanungo or Revenue Inspector supervises a group of village-level officials such as patwaris.

Is the tehsil the same as the sub-registrar office?

No. The tehsil keeps the revenue record, such as the jamabandi, and handles mutation. The sub-registrar registers deeds and keeps the record of registered documents. A registered sale deed does not by itself change the revenue record; the mutation at the tehsil does that.

What is the difference between a revenue court and a civil court?

Revenue courts are revenue officers — such as the Tehsildar, the SDO and the Collector — deciding matters the state's land revenue and tenancy laws assign to them, like record corrections, partition of agricultural holdings and tenancy questions. Civil courts decide disputes such as title and contract claims that are not given to revenue courts. Which forum hears a dispute depends on the state law and the relief sought, so take advice before filing.

Does the tehsil handle land in cities?

Often not. In many cities, land within municipal limits or a development authority's area is administered by that authority or the municipal body for purposes such as layouts, leases and building permission, even though revenue records may still exist for it. Check which authority covers a specific plot before you visit.

Should I pay anyone at the tehsil to speed up my work?

No. Pay only the official fee, at the counter or through the official system, and ask for a written or printed receipt for every payment and every application. Informal payments leave you with no record and no remedy, and anyone who says they can arrange a result for money should be treated as a warning sign.