patwari

A patwari is a village-level land records official in the revenue administration of parts of the Indian subcontinent, notably in India and Pakistan. The term derives from Urdu and Hindi and roughly corresponds to a registry clerk who maintains the village’s land records, cultivates revenue information, and assists in land transactions. Patwaris typically operate under a higher revenue office such as a tehsildar or district revenue officer and are assigned to a patwari circle or district subdivision.

The patwari’s duties include maintaining and updating land records, such as the record of rights, khasra and jamabandi or khatian, and managing mutation entries when ownership or occupancy changes. They conduct field surveys and boundary demarcations, prepare and verify maps or sketches, and issue certified copies of records for buyers, lenders, courts, or government agencies. Patwaris also assist in revenue assessment, help resolve minor disputes at the local level, and provide information about land holdings to villagers, landowners, and other stakeholders.

Historically, the patwari system developed under Mughal and British colonial land revenue regimes and remains a core element of rural governance in many areas. The position and powers of patwaris vary by country and region, and in some places the role has seen changes through reform efforts aimed at digitizing land records and improving transparency. In modern practice, digitization programs seek to reduce errors and disputes, though challenges such as delays and corruption concerns have been noted in various contexts.

In regional variations, similar village-level land record roles exist under different titles, with some states in India using terms like talati or other equivalents for the same basic function of maintaining land records and assisting in revenue administration.