Bihar Land Records Online (Bihar Bhumi): How to Check Jamabandi (2026)

How-To Guide · Bihar Land Records

Updated for 2026 · Claw Editorial

Bihar land records are free to check online, but many buyers and heirs get stuck on the first screen: which record to open, which search option to use, and what the result actually proves. To check Bihar land records, use the Bihar Bhumi portal to open the Jamabandi (Register-II) of the village, search by owner name, khata number or khesra (plot) number, and read the owner, area and land type. This guide shows the steps, explains mutation (Dakhil-Kharij), and explains why a land record is not proof of clear title.

01Why people get stuck on Bihar land records

Checking a land record sounds simple. In Bihar it often is not, for three reasons.

The names are confusing

The same idea goes by several names: Jamabandi, Register-II, Panji-II, Khatiyan, Record of Rights. A buyer who is told to "get the Jamabandi" may not know which screen on the portal that means.

Searching needs local details

Records are organised by district, Anchal (circle) and Mauza (village). You need to know the right village and then a khata or khesra number, or the exact spelling of the owner name. Old family land often sits under an ancestor’s name, and spellings in Hindi can differ.

A clean record feels like a clean title

This is the costly mistake. A record that shows a seller’s name tells you who the revenue office treats as the holder. It does not tell you whether the land is mortgaged, under a court case, or claimed by a relative.

A Bihar land record shows who the revenue office lists as the holder. It does not prove that the title is clear.

02What the Bihar land records are

The official portal is Bihar Bhumi, run by the Revenue and Land Reforms Department of the Government of Bihar. It is the place to view and print land records, and it is free to use for viewing. We are not the portal and do not replace it. This page only explains how to use it.

Jamabandi (Register-II)

The Jamabandi is the live account of who holds land in a village. It lists the khata, the raiyat (holder), the khesra (plot) numbers, area, and land type. Many people also call it Register-II or Panji-II. This is the record most buyers mean when they say "land record".

Khatiyan

The Khatiyan is the older survey record of rights. It is useful for tracing history, for example to see who held the land at the time of survey.

Dakhil-Kharij (mutation)

Dakhil-Kharij is the process that updates the Jamabandi after a sale, gift or inheritance, so that the new owner’s name replaces the old one. "Dakhil" means entering the new name, and "Kharij" means removing the old one.

03Steps to check Jamabandi (Register-II) online

These are the usual steps on the official portal. Menu names can change, so follow the labels you see on screen.

1. Open the official portal. Go to biharbhumi.bihar.gov.in. Type the address yourself rather than clicking links in messages, because fake land-record sites exist.
2. Choose the Jamabandi option. Look for the option to view the Jamabandi Panji (Register-II).
3. Select the district. Pick the Jila from the list.
4. Select the Anchal. This is the revenue circle under the district.
5. Select the Mauza. This is the village where the land sits. Ask the seller for the exact Mauza name as written in the papers.
6. Pick a search method. Search by owner name, khata number or khesra (plot) number, whichever you have.
7. Enter the detail and search. Open the matching entry and check the khata, khesra numbers, area, land type and the raiyat name.
8. Save or print the extract. Keep a copy with the date you viewed it, because records change after mutation.

If your search returns nothing, try another spelling, search by khata or khesra instead of name, or check that you picked the right Mauza.

04Search methods compared

Which search method to use depends on what paper you already hold.

Best practice is to search by two methods and see whether they agree. If the name search and the khesra search show different holders, stop and ask why before paying any money.

05Mutation (Dakhil-Kharij) vs a record update

Mutation is a legal process, while a record update is simply what you see after the process is done. They are often confused.

• Mutation (Dakhil-Kharij, Namantaran): the application and decision by the revenue office to change the holder after a sale, gift, inheritance or partition. Notice may be given and objections can be raised.
• Record update: the Jamabandi showing the new name after the order is passed and entered.

Two points are worth remembering. First, a sale deed that is registered but not mutated leaves the old owner’s name on the Jamabandi, so always check whether mutation has happened. Second, mutation mainly decides who pays land revenue and is shown as the holder. It does not by itself settle a dispute about ownership. That is for a civil court.

To follow an application, see our guide to how to check property mutation status.

06A land record is not proof of clear title

A land record and a clear title are different things. A Jamabandi entry shows who is listed for revenue purposes. Clear title means the seller has the full right to sell and no one else has a competing claim.

Before you buy, check these separately:

• Encumbrances: any registered mortgage or charge on the land. See how to download an encumbrance certificate.
• Litigation: any court case about the land, or against the seller or earlier owners. A pending case will not show on the Jamabandi.
• The chain of ownership: earlier deeds, partition papers, or succession proof, matched against the Khatiyan history.
• Possession: a physical visit to confirm who is actually using the land.

Litigation is the check most buyers skip, because it is not on any revenue portal. Cases are filed in civil courts, High Courts and tribunals, and they are listed under party names, not khata numbers. That is why you search by the names of the seller and the earlier holders.

07Where Claw fits

Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.

Claw does not replace Bihar Bhumi. The portal is where you view the official land record. Claw helps with the question the portal cannot answer: is there a court case on this land or against these people? Claw tracks cases across 9,102 forums, and its judgement database holds 30 crore+ judgements, with results in under 5 seconds. Search is name-tolerant, which helps when Hindi names are spelt in different ways.

Before you buy, create a free Claw account to check any court cases on the land or the parties by name (property litigation plus entity check). Claw has a free plan for individual advocates, and paid plans for teams and enterprises. Visit clawlaw.in.

08Sources and further reading

Official and reference links:

• Bihar Bhumi (Revenue and Land Reforms Department, Government of Bihar): biharbhumi.bihar.gov.in
• Claw: clawlaw.in

Last verified: October 2026. Portal menus, timelines and fees can change, so confirm on the official site. This guide is general information and not legal advice. For a purchase, take advice from a local property lawyer.

09Frequently asked questions