How to read a Tripura Khatian
Khatian number, Dag number and area: what each part of a Tripura Khatian tells you, why it can lag behind a sale deed, and what to check before a purchase.
The Khatian is Tripura's record of rights. It is a table, and most of the confusion comes from mixing up the two numbers on it: the Khatian number and the Dag number. They look alike and mean different things.
The two numbers
- Khatian number
- The number of the holding's account in the Mouza. One Khatian can list many plots.
- Plot (Dag) number
- One plot on the Mouza map. One Dag can appear in more than one Khatian where it is held in shares.
What else the Khatian says
- The Mouza, with its sub-division and district. Copy these exactly into any map request.
- The holder or holders, with a share where the holding is joint.
- Each Dag number in the holding, with its area and the class of land it is recorded as.
Read the area with the unit printed on your copy, and convert before you compare it with a deed or a valuation in a different unit. A mismatch in units is the most common false alarm.
When the Khatian and the deed disagree
The Khatian only changes when a mutation is made. Until then it still names the previous holder, whatever the registered sale deed says. So a Khatian that shows the seller's father, or the seller after a sale, is usually a mutation that has not been made yet, not a sign that the deed is wrong. Check with the revenue office before you rely on it.
From the record to the map
The Khatian lists Dag numbers and stops there. Which of them adjoin, and what the holding looks like as one shape, comes from the Mouza map sheets they fall on. Joining those sheets is usually the last step before a mutation, a loan or a boundary question.
🔗 Tripura land and survey glossary →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the Khatian number and the Dag number?+
The Khatian number identifies the holding's account in the Mouza. The Dag number identifies one plot on the Mouza map. One Khatian can list many Dag numbers.
Is the Khatian proof of ownership?+
It is the revenue record of who holds the land, which is why buyers and banks ask for it, but title comes from the registered deeds and the chain behind them.
Why does the Khatian still show the old owner after I bought the land?+
Because the mutation that records the transfer has not been made yet. Until it is, the Khatian names the previous holder regardless of the registered sale deed.