RTC and Bhoomi Land Records in Karnataka: A Plot Buyer's Guide
The RTC, or Pahani, is Karnataka's core land record, showing owner, extent, kharab and classification. Here is how a plot buyer reads and verifies it on the Bhoomi portal.
A buyer negotiating a three acre parcel near Devanahalli in 2026 agreed a price per acre and felt pleased with the deal. Then his lawyer pulled the RTC and pointed to a single line: nearly one acre of the three was recorded as kharab, land that cannot be cultivated or built on in the usual way. He was effectively paying three acres of price for two acres of usable land. That single line in a revenue record quietly reset the whole negotiation, and it is exactly the kind of detail the RTC exists to reveal.
The short answer. The RTC, short for Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops and also called the Pahani, is Karnataka's core land record, showing the owner and their share, the survey number, the extent in acres and guntas, the land classification, the unusable kharab portion and the mutation history. You can view it free on the Bhoomi portal. The trade off to understand is that the RTC is powerful but partial: it is a revenue record that reveals possession, extent and land type, not a conclusive title document, so it belongs alongside a title search rather than in place of one.
What is the RTC or Pahani?
The RTC is the primary land record maintained by the Karnataka revenue department for a parcel of land, recording who is in possession, the nature of the land and what grows on it. The name stands for Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops, and it is commonly called the Pahani. For agricultural and once agricultural land in particular, it is the document that officials, banks and buyers look to in order to understand the basic facts of a parcel.
It is important to be clear about what the RTC is and is not. It is a revenue record that reflects possession and cultivation for the purpose of land administration, and it carries significant weight, but it is not by itself conclusive proof of ownership title in the way a registered deed and a clean chain are. For a buyer of land or a plot, the RTC is an essential early check that tells you whether the person selling is the one the revenue record recognises, and what exactly is being sold. A useful way to think about it is that the RTC answers the revenue department's questions, who pays the land revenue, what grows there and how much land there is, while a title search answers the law's question of who truly owns it. A careful buyer wants both answers to agree, and treats any divergence between them as a problem to resolve rather than a detail to ignore.
What does the RTC show?
The RTC packs a lot of useful information into one record. It shows the owner and their share in the land, the survey and hissa number that identifies the parcel, the extent in acres and guntas, the classification of the land, the kharab or unusable portion, season by season crop details, and the mutation register number that records how the current holder acquired the land. Taken together, these fields describe both the land and its recent history.
For a buyer, three of these fields do most of the work: the owner and share, which must match your seller, the extent and kharab, which tell you how much usable land you are actually getting, and the classification, which tells you whether the land is agricultural and may need conversion before you can build. The mutation number then lets you trace the most recent change of hands. Reading these carefully is far more informative than relying on what a broker tells you about the parcel.
What do the key RTC fields tell a buyer?
It helps to map the most important fields to the question each one answers. The table below sets out what a plot buyer should read from the RTC.
| RTC field | What it tells a buyer |
|---|---|
| Owner and share | Who the revenue record treats as the holder, and their share |
| Extent and kharab | The total extent and, crucially, the usable area |
| Land classification | Whether the land is agricultural and may need conversion |
| Mutation register number | How and when ownership was last changed on the record |
Read down the right hand column and the RTC answers who holds the land, how much of it is usable, what it is classified as, and how it last changed hands. A mismatch on the owner, a large kharab portion, or an agricultural classification where you expected converted land are each a reason to slow down and ask questions. The RTC can also carry entries that flag a bank loan recorded against the land or a government acquisition notice, so a line you do not understand is worth asking about rather than skipping, because these notings can affect both your ability to buy cleanly and the use you can eventually make of the land.
What is the kharab area and why does it matter?
Kharab is the portion of a parcel that is recorded as unusable or uncultivable, and it matters because the headline extent of the land includes it. So a parcel described as three acres may contain a meaningful kharab portion that you cannot use in the ordinary way, which means the usable land is smaller than the number in the brochure. A buyer who agrees a price per acre on the headline extent, without reading the kharab line, can quietly overpay.
This is why the kharab line deserves a specific look rather than a glance. Confirm the usable extent after deducting kharab, and base your price and your plans on that figure. Kharab is often divided into categories with different implications, so where it is significant, it is worth having a lawyer or surveyor explain exactly what it means for your intended use. Our guide to DC conversion of agricultural land is a natural next read, since classification and usability decide whether you can build at all.
How do I check the RTC and mutation on Bhoomi?
You can view the RTC and the mutation details free on the official Bhoomi portal maintained by the Karnataka government. You select the district, taluk, hobli and village, then enter the survey number or the owner's name, and the portal returns the RTC along with the option to see the mutation register and its status. The mutation record shows ownership change requests and approvals, which lets you confirm how and when the land last changed hands.
Because the RTC is a revenue record, treat it as one input among several rather than the final word on ownership. Pair it with a proper title search and an encumbrance certificate, as described in our guide to the encumbrance certificate and title search, so that the revenue record, the registered deeds and the financial history all tell the same story. If you are comparing developed options rather than raw land, a project page such as L and T at Thanisandra Main Road is a reminder that even there, the underlying land has its own record worth understanding.
How should a plot buyer use the RTC?
Using the RTC well is mostly about reading the right lines and cross checking them. Work through the steps below before you agree a price.
- Note the exact district, taluk, hobli, village and survey or hissa number of the land.
- View the RTC and the mutation on the official Bhoomi portal for that survey number.
- Confirm the owner name and share on the RTC match the person who is selling to you.
- Read the kharab line and base your price on the usable extent, not the headline extent.
- Check the land classification and whether conversion is needed for the use you intend.
- Track the mutation register number to see how and when ownership last changed.
- Remember the RTC is a revenue record, so pair it with a title search and an encumbrance certificate.
Done early, this reading turns the RTC from an unfamiliar form into a sharp negotiating tool. The Devanahalli buyer renegotiated his price around the usable extent once the kharab line was read, and he did so before signing rather than discovering it afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
What is the RTC or Pahani in Karnataka?
The RTC, or Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops, also called the Pahani, is Karnataka's core land record. It shows the owner and their share, the survey number, the extent, the land classification, the kharab portion and the mutation history. It is a revenue record of possession and land type, not by itself conclusive proof of ownership title.
What is kharab land on an RTC?
Kharab is the portion of a parcel recorded as unusable or uncultivable, and the headline extent of the land includes it. So a three acre parcel may have a meaningful kharab portion, leaving less usable land than the total suggests. Always read the kharab line and base your price per acre on the usable extent rather than the headline figure.
How do I check land records on Bhoomi?
Visit the official Bhoomi portal maintained by the Karnataka government, choose the district, taluk, hobli and village, and enter the survey number or owner's name. The portal returns the RTC and the mutation details, free of charge. Confirm the owner, the extent and the classification, and check the mutation to see the most recent change of ownership.
Is the RTC proof of ownership?
Not on its own. The RTC is a revenue record that reflects possession and land type and carries weight, but it is not conclusive proof of title like a registered sale deed and a clean chain of deeds. Use the RTC alongside a title search and an encumbrance certificate so that the revenue record and the registered documents agree.
One line on an RTC, the kharab, reset a whole negotiation near Devanahalli, and the record holds several such lines worth reading. Pull the RTC and the mutation on the official Bhoomi portal, read the owner, the usable extent and the classification, and pair it with a title search, and you will buy land for what it actually is rather than for what the headline extent implies.
Last updated 2026-10-05. PropNewz Team.
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