A patta is easier to read when the labels are tied to an actual row. The redacted specimen below records survey 181/5A2 in Ayyappan Thangal, with two holder rows and an extent entered under the wet-land column group. It shows what to copy, what to compare with another record, and where to find the source verification instructions.
Start with the location and holding number
Patta specimen for Ayyappan Thangal, Kundrathur taluk, Kancheepuram district. Holder names are redacted. The labels, area, assessment and verification footer remain visible.
The location block reads Kancheepuram district, Kundrathur taluk, Ayyappan Thangal revenue village. The other side shows பட்டா எண்: 2147 — the patta number. Those details identify the record’s location and holding; a matching village name without its district and taluk is not enough to select a lookup.
There are two numbered holder rows above the parcel table. We have hidden their names, so the sample cannot demonstrate a name match with a deed. On your own copy, read every holder row and compare the names with the documents supporting the transaction. Two names do not tell you their shares, how they acquired the land, or which of them can transfer it.
Separate the survey number from the subdivision
The first two table headings are புல எண் and உட்பிரிவு. Their values are 181 and 5A2, giving the combined reference 181/5A2. The number 2147 above the table belongs to the patta, not to either of these fields.
Keep the letters and digits in the subdivision when copying it. Compare the whole reference with the property schedule of your sale deed. The survey-number guide also shows where old and current references appear on an A-Register and a TSLR extract.
Read across the classification columns
The specimen does not have one generic area column. It has three paired column groups:
| Tamil heading on this patta | Column group | Subcolumns |
|---|---|---|
| புன்செய் | Dry land | Extent and assessment |
| நன்செய் | Wet land | Extent and assessment |
| மற்றவை | Other | Extent and assessment |
The extent heading is ஹெக்–ஏர் — hectares and ares. The assessment heading is ரூ–பை — rupees and paise. In this row, the wet-land group contains 0–2.22 for extent and 0.3 for assessment; the dry and other groups contain dashes. The total line repeats the wet-land values.
The recorded extent is therefore 0 hectares and 2.22 ares, or 222 square metres. That conversion helps compare units; it does not measure the land on the ground. The assessment figure is a land-revenue field, not a purchase price, guideline value or the fee for downloading this copy. See nanjai and punjai and hectares and ares for the terms and unit conversion.
Compare the same parcel’s A-Register
The A-Register extract specimen for this parcel repeats 181, 5A2, patta 2147, extent 0–2.22 and total assessment 0.30. It adds a separate old-subdivision field, 181-5A, plus soil and assessment fields that this patta table does not spell out.
That is a specific agreement between two specimens, not a promise that every pair will agree. If your copies differ, note the exact field, the dates and the references. Ask the revenue office to explain the mismatch rather than choosing the value that suits a sale. The record comparison shows what each document contributes.
Use the printed verification reference
The first footer note directs the reader to Tamil Nadu e-Services and prints a reference number in blue. Use the reference on your own unredacted copy. This sample is watermarked for explanation; it is not a copy to submit as your record.
The remarks contain an official’s designation and a dated entry, while another footer line records when this copy was printed. Do not read the print date as the date of an acquisition or a new patta transfer. For the portal’s description of the fields and services, see its official help.
A name on the patta is not the whole title check
A patta links recorded holder details to a revenue entry. The Supreme Court’s Tarachandra judgment, paragraph 19 reiterates that mutation of revenue records does not itself confer title. A correct-looking patta therefore does not replace examining the documents through which rights were acquired.
Compare the current entry with those documents and the EC. If the holder has died or the property was sold, checking the current record and applying for a patta transfer are separate tasks. Disputed rights and restrictions in an assignment or other source document require their own examination; the holder rows cannot resolve them.
