Khatiyan Bihar: Download PDF Online, Meaning & Types (Patna 2026)
Quick answer
Bihar khatiyans are online on the Bhu-Abhilekh portal (bhuabhilekh.bihar.gov.in).
- Sign in with Public Login (mobile number). Pick the document type, district Patna, circle, mauza and khata/khesra, then Search.
- View shows the scanned record. Apply for Download Copy gives a digitally signed PDF after you pay the fee.
But getting it is the easy part. Reading it and matching it with today's jamabandi is what protects you.
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How to download a Bihar khatiyan online (step by step)
These steps follow the department's official booklet "Biharbhumi: information on online services":
- Open biharbhumi.bihar.gov.in and click Bhu-Abhilekh, or go straight to bhuabhilekh.bihar.gov.in.
- Choose Public Login and sign in with your mobile number and OTP (register first if you're new).
- Pick the document type, such as Cadastral Survey Khatiyan, Revisional Survey Khatiyan or Chakbandi Khatiyan.
- Fill in what applies: district (Patna), circle, mauza, khata, khesra, raiyat name, case number, year. Click Search.
- Click View next to a record to see the scan.
- For a digitally signed copy, click Apply for Download Copy and enter the pages you need; the fee is shown.
- Click Send Application, check the details, then Make Payment.
- Keep the payment receipt. Track the request under Track Application in the profile menu.
What does it cost? The fee depends on the pages you pick and is shown before you pay. Figures like "₹10-20 per page" online are not in any official source we found, so go by the portal. The portal's look changes now and then; the sequence stays the same (checked 15 October 2026).
What is a khatiyan? (Khatiyan kya hota hai)
The Revenue Department's glossary defines the khatiyan as the Record of Rights prepared after a survey. It records the raiyat's name, rights, khata, khesra, area, land type, rent and possession. It is the primary evidence of original ownership. Think of it as the land's root record. Every later sale, partition and inheritance goes into the jamabandi (Register-II).
| Entry in the khatiyan | What it means |
|---|---|
| Raiyat's name | The person the land was recorded under at the survey |
| Khata | The raiyat's account number, listing all their land (like a bank account number) |
| Khesra | The survey number of each plot, unique within a revenue village (mauza) |
| Area (rakba) | Size of the land |
| Land type (kism) | The class of land, such as raiyati, bakasht or gairmazarua |
| Rent (lagan) | The government land rent fixed on it |
| Rights and possession | What kind of right the raiyat holds and who is in possession |
So for any plot, first ask the seller for the mauza, khata and khesra. Khata vs khesra vs colony plot number: explained here.
Types of khatiyan: CS vs RS vs chakbandi
| Khatiyan | When it was made | What it means for a buyer |
|---|---|---|
| CS (Cadastral Survey) khatiyan | British era, in Bihar's first land survey under the Bihar Tenancy Act 1885 (roughly 1898 to 1920 across Bihar) | The first Record of Rights. Still treated as the base record in most districts. |
| RS (Revisional Survey) khatiyan | After independence, a second survey in many districts from 1952 | An updated version of the CS record and legally important, but this survey did not happen in every district. |
| Chakbandi khatiyan | In villages where land consolidation (chakbandi) was carried out | Khesra numbers and areas can change after consolidation, so check both the older and the chakbandi khatiyan. |
| Special survey Record of Rights | The ongoing Bihar Special Survey and Settlement, village by village | Where final publication is done, this becomes the new khatiyan. Every raiyat should collect their "raiyati fard". |
Which to check in Patna? Every khatiyan the portal has for your mauza; not every mauza has every type. If an RS khatiyan exists, compare it with the CS to see how the khesra and area changed.
Land type in the khatiyan: raiyati, bakasht, gairmazarua
The "kism" column tells you a lot. From the department's glossary:
| Land type | Meaning | What a buyer should do |
|---|---|---|
| Raiyati | Private land held with a raiyat's (tenant-holder's) rights | This is normal saleable land. Still match today's jamabandi. |
| Bakasht | Land under the zamindar's own cultivation when zamindari was abolished (Bihar Land Reforms Act, 1950) | Trace whose jamabandi it came into later, and how. |
| Gairmazarua aam | Common land for public use: grazing grounds, ponds, roads, graveyards, open grounds, rivers | No private ownership. Do not buy it. |
| Gairmazarua khas/malik | Land in the zamindar's possession that was not recorded as tenant holding | Vested in the State after the 1950 land reforms. Don't pay anything without a firm check at the circle office. |
Example: a seller in Danapur circle shows a jamabandi in his name, but the khatiyan records the khesra as "gairmazarua". That is a reason to stop. In Patna's outer areas farmland is often cut into plots, so read the land type yourself, not from a middleman.
Khatiyan vs jamabandi: what's the difference?
| Khatiyan | Jamabandi (Register-II) | |
|---|---|---|
| Tells you | Whose name the land was recorded in at the survey | Whose name it is in today, the rent, and up to when it is paid |
| Changes? | No, a new one comes only with a new survey | Yes, entries are added or corrected after every mutation |
| Where | Bhu-Abhilekh portal (login needed) | Bihar Bhumi, "View Jamabandi Register" (no login) |
Deeds, partitions and mutations connect the two. Jamabandi and LPC step by step: check jamabandi, khatiyan and LPC online.
Khatiyan still in a grandfather's name? Make a vanshavali from the khatiyan raiyat to every living heir. Check whether the heirs are in the jamabandi. If not, apply for dakhil-kharij on succession or partition. Buying such land? Every co-sharer must sign or have given up their share by registered document, and the seller's jamabandi must be online. More: ancestral land partition.
What to match in the khatiyan before buying a plot in Patna
| Check | Where | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Land type | Khatiyan | Recorded as gairmazarua aam or khas/malik |
| Khesra and area | Khatiyan + jamabandi | Area being sold doesn't match the khatiyan/jamabandi area |
| Chain from raiyat to seller | Khatiyan + deeds + vanshavali | A missing deed or heir in between |
| Today's holder | Jamabandi register | Jamabandi is not in the seller's name |
| Location on the map | Bhu-Naksha / revenue map | The plot shown on the ground doesn't match the khesra on the map |
| Mortgage | Mortgaged land search | A bank mortgage recorded on the land |
Records give area in acres and decimals, deals use kattha and dhur (1 kattha = 20 dhur): kattha converter. Every other record for a plot: Bihar land records online.
What should you do? (our advice)
- Before paying any token, get the mauza, khata and khesra from the seller. Then check both the khatiyan and the jamabandi yourself.
- Read the land type. If it says gairmazarua, confirm the status at the circle office before going further.
- For a court, bank or the survey, use a digitally signed copy, not a screenshot of the scan.
- Connect the full chain from the old khatiyan to today's seller (deeds, family tree, mutations). This is where it breaks most often.
- Check the master plan zone too: Patna Master Plan 2031 explained.
Khatiyan: frequently asked questions
I can't find my khatiyan online. What now?
The portal's disclaimer says the scanned image is the authentic record; the typed data is only for searching. So typing errors happen. Search separately by khata, khesra and name, and try different spellings. Still nothing? Ask your circle office where that mauza's record can be had.
How can I read an old khatiyan written in Kaithi?
Records over a hundred years old are often in Kaithi script. Bihar Bhumi offers a Kaithi document translation service after citizen login. It also has a free Kaithi textbook (PDF) on its home page. Have someone experienced confirm the reading before any deal.
Does the khata number change when land is sold?
No. Per the glossary, the same khata number goes with the land to the new heir or buyer. What changes is the jamabandi, after mutation.
Do I need the khatiyan for the Bihar special survey?
A copy, if available, goes with your self-declaration (Prapatra-2), along with the jamabandi number or rent receipt and other papers. You also file the vanshavali (Prapatra 3(1); Form 3(1)(A) in municipal areas since June 2026). Then check the khanapuri parcha and draft records, object if wrong, and collect the final "raiyati fard". Stage of your village: dlrs.bihar.gov.in. Full steps: Bihar land survey 2026.
What else is on the Bhu-Abhilekh portal?
The department's booklet lists 28 kinds of records on the portal. The ones that matter most to a Patna buyer:
- Cadastral survey, revisional survey and chakbandi khatiyans
- Revenue village maps
- Digitised jamabandi register
- Mutation (dakhil-kharij) registers and records
- Land measurement registers and records
- Gairmazarua aam/khas/Kaiser-e-Hind land registers
- Land ceiling and Bhoodan registers
Village maps are also on the Bhu-Naksha portal, and the department offers doorstep delivery of revenue maps.
Sources
- "Biharbhumi: information on online services" booklet, Revenue and Land Reforms Department — page 14 (getting a digitally signed copy on the Bhu-Abhilekh portal; rule 297(a), Bihar Record Manual 1960), page 15 (the 28 records on the portal), page 32 (special survey services) — PDF
- Bihar Revenue Glossary — definitions of CS/RS khatiyan, khatiyan, khata, khesra, fard, bakasht, gairmazarua — PDF
- "FAQ of Bihar Special Survey" — Q3 (cadastral survey about 1898–1920 under the Bihar Tenancy Act 1885), Q4 (raiyats' duties, Prapatra 2 and 3(1), raiyati fard) — PDF
- Bhu-Abhilekh portal disclaimer (scanned image is authentic; typed data is for search only) — bhuabhilekh.bihar.gov.in
- All portals and PDFs checked on 15.10.2026.
General information from official sources, checked on 28 October 2026. Rules change — confirm with the registry or circle office before paying.