How to read a Karnataka RTC (Pahani)
What the RTC records about a survey number, why the crop column matters more than people expect, and what it cannot tell you.
RTC stands for Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops, and the name is the summary. For a survey number it records who holds it, what the tenancy position is, and what has been cultivated on it. Karnataka computerised these early, which is why an RTC is usually the easiest land record in the country to obtain, and why people sometimes assume it answers more than it does.
What is on the page
- Survey number and hissa
- The parcel's identity. The hissa suffix means the number has been sub-divided, and each hissa has its own RTC and its own Tippan.
- Extent and assessment
- The recorded area and the revenue on it. The Akarband, prepared at settlement, is the register the area figure traces back to.
- Owner / holder
- Who the record says holds the land, which is not necessarily who is in possession, and that gap is what a buyer is checking for.
- Tenancy
- Whether anyone other than the holder has rights over the land. Empty on most parcels; decisive when it is not.
- Crop details
- Season by season cultivation. Often the strongest evidence on the page about who has actually been working the land.
The mutation is the part to check
A transfer reaches the RTC only when the mutation is recorded. Until then the RTC names the earlier holder, however long ago the sale happened, and the mutation register is what tells you whether the change went through and whether anyone objected while it was pending.
Village-area property is recorded elsewhere
Buildings and sites inside a village's inhabited area do not appear on an RTC. Those are recorded by the gram panchayat: the property register entry and the demand register, commonly called Form 9 and Form 11. Looking for a house site on an RTC is a common wasted search.
And the boundary
The RTC gives an extent and never a shape. Where the boundary runs is the Tippan for the number and the village map it sits on, and a holding of several hissas is several Tippans. Joined along their shared boundaries, they are the one drawing that shows the holding whole, which is what the RTC's area figure is describing but cannot show.
🔗 Karnataka land & survey glossary →Frequently asked questions
What does RTC stand for?+
Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops: Karnataka's core land record for a survey number, also called the Pahani.
Does an RTC cover a house site in a village?+
No. Property inside a village's inhabited area is recorded by the gram panchayat through Form 9 and Form 11, not on an RTC.
Why does the RTC still show the previous owner after a sale?+
Because the mutation has not been recorded yet. Until it is, the RTC names the earlier holder: checking the mutation status is the step that confirms a transfer actually completed.