Karnataka Land Records Online (Bhoomi): How to Check RTC (Pahani) (2026)

How-to Guide · Karnataka Land Records

Updated for 2026 · Claw Editorial

You can check Karnataka land records online on the Bhoomi portal run by the state Revenue Department. Choose the district, taluk, hobli and village, then search by survey number or owner name to see the RTC (Pahani), which shows owner, land use, crops and tenancy. A land record is not proof of clear title. Before you buy, also check the encumbrance and any court cases, which Claw can surface by party name.

01Why buyers get stuck with Karnataka land records

Most people searching for Karnataka land records have one of three jobs. They want to see who owns a plot or farm. They want a copy of the record for a bank loan or a sale. Or they have heard that a seller’s papers look fine and want to confirm it before paying.

The Karnataka Revenue Department runs the Bhoomi system for this. It is the official source, and this page does not replace it. It only explains how to use it, and what to do after you have the record.

The common mistakes are simple. People search with the wrong village or hobli. They type an owner name with a different spelling. They treat the record as final proof of ownership. Each of these can cost a buyer a lot of money.

02What the RTC (Pahani) is

In Karnataka, the main village land record is the RTC. The letters stand for Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops. In everyday talk, many people call it the Pahani, which is the term used in several other states for the same kind of record.

An RTC is kept for each survey number (and hissa, if the survey is split). It typically shows:

• Owner or cultivator details: the name of the person recorded as holding the land.
• Extent and land type: the area, and whether it is dry, wet, garden or other classes.
• Crop information: what was grown in the recorded season.
• Tenancy and other columns: any recorded tenant, and other notes that the village accountant has entered.
• Loans and liabilities: in many records, there is a column for loans or charges noted against the land.

It also links with the Mutation Register (MR), which shows how and when the record changed. The RTC is a revenue record. It tells you who is recorded as holding and using the land for revenue purposes. That is useful, but it is not the same as a court-tested title.

03Steps to check a land record on Bhoomi

The exact buttons can change, but the flow on the official Bhoomi portal is usually like this.

1. Open the official Bhoomi land records site: landrecords.karnataka.gov.in. Check the web address carefully. Fake lookalike sites exist.
2. Pick the service you need, such as View RTC and MR, or the option to view the record by survey number.
3. Select the district, then the taluk, hobli and village.
4. Enter the survey number. If the land is divided, pick the correct surnoc (sub-division) and hissa number, and the right period or year.
5. Click the button to fetch details. The RTC for that survey number opens on screen.
6. Read each column. Match the owner name, extent and land type with what the seller has told you.
7. If you need an official copy for a bank or a sale, use the option for a digitally signed RTC. A small fee applies.

Viewing is usually free, but you should not assume that a printout from your browser is accepted everywhere. Banks and sub-registrar offices often ask for the digitally signed copy.

04Search methods compared

People search land records in different ways, depending on what papers they hold. This table shows what each method needs and what to watch for.

The safest habit is to start from the survey number written in the sale deed or the previous title papers, and then confirm the same land on the RTC. If the seller only gives a plot number, ask for the parent survey number.

05Mutation vs a record update

These two ideas are often mixed up, so it helps to keep them apart.

Mutation (also called dakhil kharij or namantaran)

Mutation is the process by which the revenue record is changed after a transfer, such as a sale, gift, inheritance or partition. A request is made, a notice may be issued, objections are heard, and then the entry is changed and shown in the Mutation Register. It is a formal step with a status you can track.

Record update or correction

A record update is a smaller change, such as fixing a name spelling, adding crop details for a season, or correcting an extent. It does not by itself move ownership from one person to another.

The key point is that a mutation entry follows a transfer. It does not create ownership. Revenue entries are made for fiscal purposes, and courts have long held that they do not themselves confer or take away title.

To see how to track a pending mutation in detail, read our guide on how to check property mutation status in India.

06A land record is not proof of clear title

This is the part most guides skip. The RTC tells you who the revenue office has on record. It does not tell you that the seller can legally sell the land with no problems. A buyer should check at least four more things.

• The chain of title: the past sale deeds, partition papers or wills that show how the seller got the land.
• The encumbrance: any registered mortgage, charge or lien. Get an Encumbrance Certificate for the period you need. See how to download an encumbrance certificate in India.
• Conversion and approvals: if agricultural land is being used for a plot or building, check that the change of land use is on record.
• Court cases: a pending suit over the land or against the seller can change everything, and a land record will not show it.

The record tells you who is on the register. It does not tell you whether a court is already deciding who should be.

The last point matters most. Disputes over partition, possession, inheritance and sale agreements are fought in civil courts, and they rarely show up on the RTC. A seller may also have cases against them that affect their ability to deal with the land.

For this reason, many careful buyers search for cases by the names of the seller and the previous owners, and by the property details. Our guide on litigation checks on individuals explains the same idea for people checks.

07Where Claw fits

Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.

Claw does not run Bhoomi and does not issue land records. It helps with the step after you have the record: checking whether there are court cases on the land or against the parties. Claw covers 9,102 forums and 30 crore+ judgments, with results in under 5 seconds, and its search is name-tolerant, so variants of an owner’s name are less likely to be missed.

Before you buy, create a free Claw account to check any court cases on the land or the parties by name. This is a property litigation and entity check. Claw has a free plan for individual advocates. Paid plans exist for teams and enterprises. A search result is a starting point and should be read with your lawyer.

If you track cases across courts regularly, see the guide on tools for tracking cases beyond NJDG.

08Sources and further reading

• Bhoomi, Karnataka land records (official): landrecords.karnataka.gov.in
• Claw: clawlaw.in

Portal menus, fees and services change. Last verified October 2026. Always confirm on the official site. This guide is general information and not legal advice.

09Frequently asked questions