Every property in Karnataka has two addresses. One is the address on the gate, the delivery app and the map pin. The other is the address the government files land records under. The first one is easy. The second one is the one that matters when you check paperwork.
The pieces, smallest to largest
| Piece | What it points to |
|---|---|
| Survey number | A piece of land in a village's survey |
| Hissa (sub-division) | A part of that piece, once it is split |
| Village | The area the survey belongs to; survey numbers are unique only inside it |
| Hobli | A group of villages |
| Taluk | The unit with the taluk office and its records |
| District | Where the Deputy Commissioner sits |
A revenue address reads from small to large: survey number, village, hobli, taluk, district. A postal address goes the other way round, from house number to PIN code.
The survey number and the slash
When a piece of land is divided, each part gets a sub-division written after a slash. So 45/2 is part 2 of survey number 45. That part is usually called the hissa number. It can be split again, written as something like 45/2A. The rule for reading it never changes: before the first slash is the parent piece, and everything after narrows it down.
This matters to you in two ways:
- If you order a record against 45 alone, you get the whole parent piece, not your part. Always quote the full number.
- If a document names only 45 when a sub-division exists, it is describing more land than the deal.
Why the village is essential
Survey number 45 exists in a great many villages. Without the village, the number points to nothing. Village names around Bengaluru are also spelt in several ways in English, and some names repeat in different parts of the state. When an online search returns nothing, the spelling of the village is often the reason, not a missing record.
The hobli
The hobli groups several villages under a revenue inspector. Most people only meet it when a form demands it. It also helps when two villages in one taluk have similar names: the hobli tells them apart.
Where you will see this on a flat purchase
When a builder registers a project under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, the application under section 4 covers the land and its title. So the project's registered details include its land in revenue terms. Look for the survey numbers, village, hobli and taluk there, and check they match your sale agreement. The same description lets your lawyer pull the land records for exactly that parcel.
How to quote it correctly
- Copy the description from a document such as the sale deed, land record or RERA details. Do not rely on someone telling you.
- Write the survey number with its full sub-division, slash and letters included.
- Use the village spelling from the document, and try common variants if a search fails.
- Add the hobli and taluk. Many searches need both.
- Note the district. It decides which office holds the record.
A worked example, read aloud
Here is an invented revenue address, made up only to practise on: Sy. No. 112/3B, Example Village, Example Hobli, Anekal Taluk, Bengaluru Urban District.
- 112 is the parent survey number in that village's survey.
- /3 says it was split, and this is part 3.
- B says part 3 was split again, and this is part B of it.
- Example Village makes the number unique. Without it, 112/3B could be anywhere.
- Example Hobli and Anekal Taluk tell you which revenue offices hold the records.
- Bengaluru Urban District completes it.
Say it back in one sentence: "Part B of part 3 of survey 112, in this village, hobli, taluk and district." If you can say that, you can read any survey description.
The records that use this address
- RTC (record of rights, tenancy and crops): often called pahani. It shows the extent and the recorded holder of the land.
- Mutation register: shows how ownership changed over time, entry by entry.
- Encumbrance certificate (EC): from the sub-registrar's records, showing registered transactions such as sales and mortgages.
- Survey sketch: the drawing of the parcel's boundaries.
Karnataka's land records can be viewed online through the state's Bhoomi land records service, and encumbrance details through the registration department's online services. Every one of them asks for the survey number and village, not the street address.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Dropping the sub-division. Searching 112 instead of 112/3B returns the wrong, larger parcel.
- Trusting a typed-out number from a broker. Copy from a document instead.
- Giving up after one failed search. Try the other common spellings of the village.
- Checking only one survey number. Many projects sit on several. Every one listed should be checked.
- Mixing up the land survey with the flat number. The survey number describes the land; your flat number describes your home in the building.
Step by step: a first look at a project's land before you book
You will still want a lawyer for a proper title check. But these steps help you ask better questions and spot a gap early.
- Open the project's RERA page and note every survey number, with sub-divisions, plus the village, hobli and taluk.
- Compare them with the draft agreement for sale. The land described should be the same, in the same words.
- Look up each survey number in the land records service and check that the extent shown is in line with the project's land area.
- Note the recorded holder. It should be the promoter, or a landowner who has signed a development agreement with the promoter.
- Write down anything that does not match and ask the builder to explain it in writing.
Questions to take to your lawyer
- Do the survey numbers in the RERA registration, the title deeds and my agreement all match?
- Does the mutation history show a clean chain of ownership?
- Does the encumbrance certificate show any loan or charge still open on the land?
- Has the land been converted for non-agricultural use, where that is needed?
- If there is a development agreement with a landowner, does it allow the sale of my flat?
A lawyer who knows the property's revenue address can answer these in one pass. That is why getting it right on day one saves both time and fees.
Why this address is the one that counts
The record of rights, the mutation register, the encumbrance certificate, the survey sketch and the property tax register all file against the survey number and village. The marketing address files against nothing.
The record of rights is kept under sections 127 to 129 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964. Section 133 says an entry in it is presumed correct until proved otherwise. That presumption attaches to an entry against a survey number, which is exactly why getting the number right matters.
Keep a one-page note in your property file with the full revenue address copied exactly from the sale deed. You will need it again for the khata transfer, property tax, a future loan against the home, and when you one day sell.
Learn to read this address once and every later document gets easier. Our first home guide shows where each of these records fits in your purchase.