What Patta and Chitta actually tell you
Patta is a legal document issued by the Tahsildar that records the owner's name against a survey and subdivision number. Chitta is a related revenue record that classifies the land as Nanjai (wetland) or Punjai (dryland) and captures the extent held.
Together they answer three questions a buyer cares about: who holds the land, how big it is on paper, and how it is classified. A mismatch between what a seller claims and what the patta shows is your earliest warning sign.
Checking it online, step by step
Open the Tamil Nadu e-services land records portal and choose the 'View Patta & FMB / Chitta / TSLR Extract' option. Select your district, taluk and village from the dropdowns.
Enter either the survey number and subdivision, or the patta number, then submit. The portal returns the current owner name, extent and classification. Cross-check every field against the seller's documents and the FMB sketch.
Reading the result like a buyer
Confirm the owner name exactly matches the person signing the sale. Confirm the extent matches the sale deed and the physical measurement on the ground.
If the land was recently sold or subdivided, the online record may lag behind. When in doubt, pair the patta check with a certified copy and an Encumbrance Certificate before committing money.