Updated: 13 October 2026
In Puducherry the land record is the patta, also called the chitta, and it is viewed on Nilamagal, nilamagal.py.gov.in/public/. The Directorate of Survey, Settlement and Land Records gives the public access to the Settlement and Chitta register there, and NIC Puducherry maintains it. Viewing is free, but a printout from the portal is not a certified copy.
Only the portal address, office address and phone number below come from a government page. Steps and fees come from guides, so follow the screen if it differs.
What the patta shows
| Item | What it is | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Patta (chitta) | The record of rights, extracted from the Settlement and Chitta Register | Lists owner, land type, survey number and extent |
| Patta number and R.S. number | The account number and the re-survey number of the parcel | A cadastral number also links the parcel to older French records |
| Land type | Cultivable or residential | Class (wet or dry) is also shown |
| Guideline value | The GLR value shown with the parcel | Used for registration valuation |
| Last recorded mutation | Nilamagal shows only the last mutation that was recorded | An unrecorded sale can still show the old owner |
How to view a patta on Nilamagal
- Open the portal through the Puducherry government site (py.gov.in) or type nilamagal.py.gov.in. Lookalike domains exist.
- Choose the region: Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe or Yanam. Each region's records are served by its own offices.
- Choose the village, then enter the survey number, the R.S. number (old town parcels) or the patta number. For a subdivided survey, enter the exact fraction.
- Read the extract and save a dated copy. Check every name on a joint patta, the extent and the class.
No login is needed. Confirm that the portal serves your region before relying on it; the offline route is the taluk office of that region, or an e-District or CSC counter. The portal's exact menu labels are not published.
Certified copy and what the free view is good for
- The free view is for checking. It does not settle loans or past transfers, which sit in the Registration Department's encumbrance records, nor boundaries, which sit in the survey sketch.
- A certified copy carries the digital signature of the Settlement Officer-I. It is issued through a CSC and can be checked on the Puduvai Sevai link. An unsigned printout is not a certified copy.
- Request it from the taluk office of the parcel's own region, through the counter, e-District or a CSC. A Karaikal parcel cannot be certified in Puducherry.
- Fee: sources differ. One says Rs. 40 at a CSC (unofficial figure), another only says a small statutory fee. Confirm the current amount at the counter.
- For registration an encumbrance certificate (EC) covering at least 30 years is also needed (unofficial advice). The EC comes from the registration department, not Nilamagal.
Older records
Puducherry completed land settlement after the French period. Parcels from before 1970 may sit on French Cadastre records that are not on Nilamagal, and the physical files are kept at the Directorate in Saram. Old agricultural land can also carry tenancy claims that do not show online.
Mutation
- Registration does not automatically change the patta. Ask the taluk office whether the update starts by itself or on application for your parcel, and get a tracking reference.
- For an inheritance, heirs file at the taluk office of the parcel's region, at the taluk counter or through e-District, with the death certificate and legal heirship documents. Expect village verification if the succession is unclear.
- Clean files usually move within weeks (unofficial). If nothing changes in a month, visit the taluk office with the deed and the acknowledgment.
- Corrections, successions and disputes go to the Tahsildar. No online mutation application or status page is described, and no fee is published.
Map and contacts
- No Puducherry cadastral map portal is named. Boundaries sit in the survey sketch, which the taluk office can advise on.
- Directorate of Survey, Settlement and Land Records: II Floor, Revenue Complex, Kamaraj Salai, Saram, Puducherry 605013. Phone 0413-2249672, email [email protected]. The government page showing these is dated 2020, so confirm before travelling.
Related pages
The metric unit on the record is not published, so read the unit printed on your extract and convert it with the land area converter. The same details are asked for in the Farmer Registry, a Kisan Credit Card and PM Kisan. See also land services and land records for all states.
Sources
- Puducherry District, Land Records page (official)
- 1acre, Nilamagal portal guide (secondary)
- 1acre, Puducherry patta and chitta record guide (secondary)
- 1acre, viewing the patta on Nilamagal (secondary)
- 1acre, Puducherry certified copy (secondary)
- 1acre, Puducherry mutation (secondary)