How to read an MP B-1 and Khasra: holder, class, Batankan and diversion
What each part of the Madhya Pradesh record of rights says, what Nistar rights mean for a buyer, and which lines to check before relying on a downloaded B-1.
The B-1 is the document a Madhya Pradesh sale, loan or diversion file is built on. Most people read the holder's name and the area and stop. The lines that actually decide whether a transaction is simple are further along — the land class, whether a Batankan is pending, and whether anyone else holds Nistar rights over the land.
The parts
- Khasra number
- One parcel in the revenue village. Sub-divided into parts as holdings are split, so 45 becomes 45/1 and 45/2.
- Holder and share
- Who is recorded, and in what proportion. Joint holdings are the norm; a share is not the same as a defined piece of ground.
- Land class
- Irrigated, unirrigated, abadi and so on. It sets the revenue and signals what the land is treated as, whatever is on it.
- Nistar
- Customary village rights over land — grazing, wood, water — recorded in the village Nistar Patrak. Not ownership, but a real constraint, and easy to miss on land that looks unencumbered.
What to check, in order
- Whether Namantaran has completed. Until mutation is entered the B-1 still names the previous holder, whatever the sale deed says.
- Whether the holding is joint, and in what shares. A co-sharer selling 'their part' of an undivided Khasra is selling a share, not a parcel, unless Batankan has been done.
- Whether Batankan is pending. If the record shows shares but the map still shows one undivided Khasra, the parcel you think you are buying has no boundary on any drawing yet.
- Whether diversion has been granted, if the plan is to build. Until then the land is agricultural in the record regardless of what stands on it.
- The Nistar Patrak for the village, if the land adjoins or includes common land.
Why the B-1 alone is not enough
The B-1 will tell you a holder has 1.2 hectares across Khasra numbers 45/1, 46 and 112. It will not tell you that 112 sits on the far side of the village, that 45/1 and 46 share a boundary, or what the three of them look like as one shape. Only the map does that, and only after the sheets are joined.
That joined drawing is what makes the rest of the process shorter. A diversion application, a valuation, a partition agreement and a site visit all go better when the holding is one picture rather than three downloads and a verbal description.
🔗 Madhya Pradesh land & survey terms, explained →Frequently asked questions
What is Nistar and why does it matter to a buyer?+
Nistar is the set of customary rights villagers hold over common land — grazing, collecting wood, taking water — recorded in the village Nistar Patrak. It is not ownership, but it constrains what can be done with the land it attaches to, and it appears on parcels a buyer may reasonably assume are unencumbered.
What is Batankan?+
The sub-division of one Khasra number into parts after a partition or sale, so each share gets its own number. Until it completes, the shares exist in the text record but not as boundaries on the map.
Do I need diversion before building on agricultural land in MP?+
Converting agricultural land to non-agricultural use requires diversion. Until it is granted the land remains agricultural in the record whatever is built on it. The diverted area has to be identifiable on the map, which is one reason assembled parcels are presented as a single joined drawing in the file.