Tippani, Akarband, Podi and 11E: The Survey Records a Bengaluru Plot Buyer Needs
Karnataka survey records, the Tippani, Akarband, Podi extract and 11E sketch, pin down a plot's boundary and extent. Here is what each tells a Bengaluru buyer and why ownership papers are not enough.
A buyer near Sarjapur measured his new plot with a tape one morning in 2026, and the numbers did not add up. The sale deed promised him a certain extent, but the fenced piece on the ground was visibly smaller, and one corner seemed to sit on the neighbour's land. A surveyor sorted it out with three old records, the Tippani, the Podi extract and an 11E sketch, and the truth emerged. The seller had quietly sold more than the survey number could give.
Most plot buyers in Karnataka read the sale deed and the RTC and stop there. But those papers say who owns the land, not exactly where its boundaries run. For that you need the survey records, and they are the difference between buying a plot and buying a boundary dispute. Here is what they are.
The short answer. Karnataka's survey records, the Tippani, the Akarband, the Podi extract and the 11E sketch, describe the exact boundaries, extent and sub-divisions of a plot. The Tippani shows the surveyed boundary of a survey number, the Akarband its extent and classification, the Podi how a big survey number was split, and the 11E sketch the specific portion being sold, which you legally need to register a part sale. The trade off is effort. Pulling these adds a step to your due diligence, but it is the only way to confirm that the plot on the ground is the plot on the deed, corner for corner.
Why are the ownership papers not enough for a plot?
Because a sale deed and an RTC tell you who owns the land, but not precisely where it begins and ends. The RTC, the Record of Rights, records ownership and crop details, and the sale deed records the transfer, yet neither draws the boundary on the ground. Two plots with clean ownership papers can still overlap, or a seller can describe more extent than the survey number actually contains, and you would never see it in the deed alone.
Survey documents fill exactly this gap. They focus on the land's physical reality, its size, its limits and its sub-divisions, rather than its ownership. That is why a careful plot buyer reads both sets together, the ownership papers to confirm the title and the survey records to confirm the boundary, before parting with money. A clean title over the wrong patch of ground is no comfort at all.
What does each survey document tell you?
Each record answers a different question about the land, and together they pin down the plot. The Tippani is the survey sketch of a property within a single survey number, drawn from the old field measurement book and the village map, and it is what a surveyor uses to plant stone markers at the corners. The Akarband records the extent and the land classification and tax assessment of the survey number. The Podi extract shows how a large survey number was bifurcated into sub-numbers, such as seventy five slash one and seventy five slash two. The table sums up what each one gives a buyer.
| Document | What it tells a plot buyer |
|---|---|
| Tippani | The surveyed boundaries of the whole survey number |
| Akarband | The extent and land classification of the survey number |
| Podi extract | How a big survey number was split into sub-numbers |
| 11E sketch | The exact portion being sold, needed to register a part sale |
Read across the row that fits your purchase. If you are buying a whole survey number, the Tippani and Akarband matter most. If you are buying a slice of a larger number, the Podi extract and the 11E sketch become essential, because they define the exact piece you are getting.
Two more terms are worth knowing when these records come up. Durasti is the process of correcting or updating the survey record to match the actual position on the ground, so a recent Durasti can explain why an old sketch and the current boundary differ. The village map, or atlas, is the master drawing that places every survey number in the village, and a surveyor reads it alongside the Tippani to fix where your plot sits relative to its neighbours. Seeing these together tells you whether the boundary has been settled or is still being corrected.
Why is the 11E sketch so important for a part purchase?
Because in Karnataka you legally cannot register a sale deed for a portion of a survey number without an 11E sketch. When a larger survey number is being split and only a part is sold to you, the 11E sketch is the surveyor's drawing of that specific portion, prepared after an actual visit to the site. It is what makes the sub-division of your piece legally recognised, and the registration of your part sale depends on it.
So if a seller is carving your plot out of a bigger survey number and cannot produce an 11E sketch, that is a hard stop, not a formality to sort out later. Without it your sale deed for the portion cannot be registered, which means you never truly become the owner on record. Insist on the 11E sketch before you pay for any part of a survey number, and match the portion it shows to the plot you are standing on.
How do you match the records to the plot on the ground?
You cross check the survey number and extent across every document, then verify the boundary physically. Start by confirming that the survey number, the sub-number and the extent are the same on the Tippani, the Akarband, the RTC and the sale deed, since a mismatch anywhere is a warning. Then have the boundary demarcated on the ground by a surveyor, and check that the stone markers sit where the Tippani says they should, not where a fence happens to run.
This ground truthing is where quiet encroachments and overlaps surface, exactly as they did for the Sarjapur buyer. The physical demarcation deserves its own attention here. A surveyor plants boundary stones, sometimes called kallu, at the corners the records specify, and those stones, not a fence or a compound wall, are the true edge of your plot. Fences get moved, walls get built a foot inside or outside the line, and hedges creep, so always trust the demarcated survey markers over whatever happens to enclose the land on the day you visit. It also pays to read column eleven of the RTC for any pending survey notation before you register. Pair this survey check with a proper title and land use check, using our guides to the encumbrance certificate and title search and to DC conversion of agricultural land, so title, land use and boundary all line up.
Where do you get these survey documents?
They come from the survey and land records system, increasingly online. Karnataka's Mojini system handles survey requests, boundary demarcation and access to the RTC sketch or 11E, while records like the Akarband and RTC flow through the Bhoomi land records system. You, or the seller on your behalf, can apply for a fresh survey and the relevant sketches rather than relying on an old photocopy.
A fresh, current sketch is worth the wait, because boundaries and sub-divisions can change over time. A well surveyed, properly demarcated plotted project such as Adarsh Euphoria plots on Sarjapur Road is the kind of address where the survey records line up cleanly with the ground, which is exactly what you are checking for.
What should you verify before buying a plot?
Confirm the boundary as carefully as the title, because a plot is only as good as its edges. Run this checklist before you pay.
- Ask for the Tippani to see the surveyed boundary of the parent survey number.
- Check the Akarband for the recorded extent and classification of the land.
- Get the Podi extract if the survey number was split into sub-numbers.
- Insist on the 11E sketch when you are buying only a portion of a survey number.
- Match the extent and survey number across the sketch, the RTC and the sale deed.
- Have the boundary demarcated on the ground and check the stone markers.
- Read column eleven of the RTC for any pending survey notation before you register.
Do this and you buy a plot whose edges you can actually trust, not one you will fight over with a neighbour for years. The survey records are unglamorous, but they are the map that tells you the land on the deed and the land under your feet are the same land.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Tippani in Karnataka?
A Tippani is the survey sketch of a property that lies within a single survey number, drawn from the field measurement book and the village map. Surveyors use it, along with the atlas, to mark the property's corners with stone markers on the ground, so it tells you the surveyed boundaries of that survey number.
Why do I need an 11E sketch?
Because in Karnataka you cannot register a sale deed for a part of a survey number without one. When you buy only a portion of a larger survey number, the 11E sketch shows exactly which piece is being sold, prepared by a surveyor after visiting the site. Without it, that part sale simply cannot be registered.
What does the Akarband tell me?
The Akarband records the extent of a survey number along with its land classification and tax assessment. For a buyer it confirms how much land the survey number officially holds and how it is classified, so you can check that the plot you are buying fits within the recorded extent rather than exceeding it.
How do survey documents differ from ownership papers?
Survey documents like the Tippani, Akarband and Podi describe the land itself, its boundaries, size and sub-divisions, while ownership papers like the sale deed and RTC say who owns it. You need both, one to confirm the plot's physical limits and the other to confirm the title, before you commit to buying.
Sources opened for this article include Earthfields on Karnataka land survey records and Mypatta on Karnataka survey documents. Records and portals change, so verify the current process on Mojini and Bhoomi and with a surveyor before you buy.
Last updated 2026-09-09. PropNewz Team.
Contact Us
Stay updated with latest news and new projects!
Tell us what you want, We'll do the rest.
Share your budget and where you're looking. An advisor who has actually walked the sites will shortlist a handful of RERA-registered projects and tell you which to skip.