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Bhoomi RTC (Pahani) Karnataka: How to View and Get RTC Online (2026 Guide)
Learn what a Karnataka RTC shows, how to pull it from the official Bhoomi land records site, and how to read the mutation trail behind it before you buy agricultural land.
In Karnataka, the RTC, also called Pahani (เฒชเฒนเฒฃเฒฟ), is the basic revenue record for a survey number, and you can view or obtain it online through the Revenue Department's Bhoomi land records site at landrecords.karnataka.gov.in. An official Dakshina Kannada district page states that an RTC can be obtained online for Rs 10, but check the current charge on the portal before you pay. For a land buyer, the RTC and the mutation entries behind it are the first test of whether the seller's name, the extent and the land's status match what you are being offered.
At a glance
What we could confirm from official sources:
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Official portal | landrecords.karnataka.gov.in (Bhoomi land records) | Dakshina Kannada district administration |
| Document name | RTC (Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops), commonly called Pahani | Revenue Department, Karnataka |
| Who maintains the records | Revenue Department (Bhoomi) for RTC and mutation; Survey, Settlement and Land Records Department (SSLRD) for survey sketches through Mojini | CAG audit report on Karnataka, 2014 |
| Online RTC charge | Rs 10 per RTC as stated on the district page; confirm current charge on the portal | Dakshina Kannada district administration |
| Who updates ownership | Mutation handled at the Tahsildar's office and reflected in the RTC | CAG audit report on Karnataka, 2014 |
| Offline access | Hobli-level centres (Nadakacheri) also issue RTCs | Dakshina Kannada district administration; CAG report |
| Governing law | Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964 and Karnataka Land Revenue Rules, 1966 | CAG audit report on Karnataka, 2014 |
What an RTC (Pahani) is
RTC stands for Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops. It is a village-level revenue record kept for each survey number, or for each sub-division (hissa) where a survey number has been split among several holders. The Dakshina Kannada district administration describes it as the original record of rights that a resident can now obtain online from anywhere.
Karnataka was early to computerise this record. Under the Bhoomi system, RTCs are held digitally by the Revenue Department, and any change in ownership or extent passes through a mutation that the Tahsildar's office processes, after which the updated RTC is generated. Survey work, such as splitting a survey number into hissas or preparing a sketch for part of a holding, runs separately through the SSLRD's Mojini application, and the corrected RTC is synchronised back from Bhoomi.
The RTC is a revenue record. It is strong evidence of who the government recognises as holding the land and what is being cultivated on it, but it is not a title document. Title still rests on the registered chain of deeds. Read our guide on how to verify land title for how the RTC fits alongside the sale deeds.
What to read on an RTC
RTC layouts have changed over the years, and the printed form is in Kannada. Instead of naming individual columns we could not confirm on a current sample, here are the details a buyer should look for on any RTC:
- Location identifiers: district, taluk, hobli, village and the survey number with any hissa number. These must match the sale agreement exactly.
- Extent: the area of the survey number or hissa, usually in acres and guntas.
- Holder details: the name or names of the khatedar (holders), their extent within the survey number and the khata number.
- Nature of rights and liabilities: entries for loans, charges, tenancy or other rights recorded against the land.
- Cultivation and crop details: the season, crop and whether the land is irrigated or dry.
- Mutation reference: the mutation number (MR number) that brought the current holder onto the record.
Step by step: view and get RTC online
The Bhoomi site restricts automated access, so we could not capture its current menu labels. The flow below is described generically; follow the on-screen options that match each step.
- Open landrecords.karnataka.gov.in in a browser. Check the address ends in karnataka.gov.in.
- Choose the option to view RTC (Pahani). You may be asked to log in or enter a captcha, depending on the service.
- Select the district, then the taluk, then the hobli and village.
- Enter the survey number. If the survey number is split, choose the surnoc and hissa number from the list that appears.
- Choose the year or period if asked.
- View the RTC on screen to check details. For a copy you can use with a bank or in a transaction, use the paid online RTC option and pay the user charge by card or net banking.
A 2018 report on the launch of the online RTC facility by the Bhoomi Monitoring Cell said the downloaded copy is treated the same as one obtained from a Bhoomi centre, can be printed on plain paper, and that the user charge can be paid by debit card, credit card or net banking. If you cannot use the site, any hobli-level centre (Nadakacheri) can issue the RTC across the counter.
Free view is not the same as a usable copy
An on-screen view is fine for a first check, but banks and registration offices generally want the paid online RTC or a centre-issued copy. Ask your lender which version it accepts before you pay for several.
Mutation register and mutation status
Every change in the RTC, whether by sale, gift, partition, inheritance or a court order, should have a matching mutation entry in the mutation register (MR). The mutation is processed at the Tahsildar's office under Bhoomi, and only after it is approved does the new holder appear on the RTC.
For a buyer, the mutation trail is often more revealing than the RTC itself:
- Note the MR number on the current RTC and look up the mutation it refers to. Check that the transaction type (sale, inheritance and so on) matches what the seller told you.
- Look at past RTCs for the same survey number over at least the last few years. A sudden change of name without a matching mutation is a red flag.
- Check whether any mutation is still pending on the survey number. A pending mutation can mean someone else has already registered a transaction on the same land.
Karnataka's Bhoomi site offers mutation-related reports, but we could not confirm the exact menu names. Our general explainer on mutation covers the concept in other states, and the steps are similar.
Survey sketches and part extents
When only part of a survey number is being sold, the RTC alone does not tell you where on the ground that part lies. According to the CAG's audit of Karnataka, the SSLRD's Mojini application handles several sketches that matter to buyers:
- 11E sketch (pre-mutation sketch): shows the portion of a survey number that is to be conveyed. It is required for sale, partition or gift mutations involving part of a survey number.
- Phodi (podi) sketch: maps the boundaries of individual holdings (hissas) in a survey number with several owners, after which separate RTCs can be created for each hissa.
- Hadbust sketch: maps an individual holding at the owner's request.
- Alienation sketch: shows land proposed for conversion from agricultural to non-agricultural use and accompanies the conversion application.
We could not confirm current fees or processing times for these sketches. Check with the taluk survey office or at the Nadakacheri. To tie the paper record to the ground, see how to match a survey number to the plot on a map.
What to check before you rely on it
- Name mismatch: the seller's name on the RTC must match the sale agreement and identity documents. If the land is joint, every co-holder must be part of the sale.
- Extent mismatch: the extent being sold should not exceed the seller's recorded share in the survey number or hissa.
- Liabilities column: any loan, charge or government claim recorded against the land should be cleared or accounted for before registration.
- Government or restricted land: entries suggesting government land, granted land or land with transfer restrictions need an advocate's review. The CAG report notes that land grants in Karnataka follow the Karnataka Land Grant Rules, 1969.
- Pending mutation: do not pay a large advance while a mutation is pending on the same survey number.
- Encumbrance: the RTC does not show every registered charge. Pull an encumbrance certificate from the registration department as well.
Our land due diligence checklist puts these checks in the order most buyers follow.
If the RTC is wrong
Errors in name spelling, extent or crop details do occur. The CAG audit noted that RTC corrections are entered in Bhoomi and the corrected RTC is then imported into Mojini, so corrections involve both the Tahsildar's office and, for extent or boundary issues, the survey department. We could not confirm a single online correction route, fee or time limit for Karnataka. Start at the taluk office (Tahsildar) with the RTC, the mutation copy and your supporting deeds, and ask which application applies to your case. For disputes over ownership or boundaries, take advice from a local advocate before filing. Our guide on correcting errors in online land records explains the general approach.
