Thandaper in Kerala
തണ്ടപ്പേർ — the number, the certificate, and what it proves
Every piece of land in Kerala sits in somebody’s thandaper account. Knowing yours, and reading the remarks column, prevents most of the surprises that surface at sale.
The thandaper is the Village Office land-tax account for a holder, carrying a thandaper number unique within the village. It lists the survey numbers held, the extent in ares, the land classification (nilam, parambu or purayidam), the tax position and any remarks such as B-memo notations. Your thandaper number is printed on the land tax receipt, and the record can be viewed online on Ente Bhoomi at entebhoomi.kerala.gov.in by district, taluk and village against the survey number — though the online view is a reference only. A certified thandaper certificate or extract is issued by the Village Office, commonly through e-District or an Akshaya centre.
Reviewed 19 September 2026 by J Group Consultancy, Ernakulam. Government portals, fees and timelines change — confirm the current position before you rely on it.
How to find your thandaper number and view the record
- 01
Look at the land tax receipt first
The thandaper number is printed on it, along with the survey number and the extent in ares. If you have paid tax in the last few years, you already have the number and need nothing else.
- 02
Search Ente Bhoomi if you have no receipt
Open entebhoomi.kerala.gov.in, select the district, taluk and village, and search by survey number or by thandaper number. In villages where the digital resurvey is complete this shows the current record and sketch.
- 03
Fall back to e-Rekha for older villages
Where the resurvey is not finished, the land register and settlement records on erekha.kerala.gov.in still carry the position. These are paid records; the rate card is on the portal.
- 04
Read the whole record, not just the extent
Check the holder name, the classification and the remarks column. A nilam classification decides whether you need land conversion; a B-memo or dispute note decides whether the land can be sold at all.
- 05
Get a certified extract where it matters
For a bank, a court, a land-conversion file or a sale, apply to the Village Office — in most districts through e-District or an Akshaya centre — for a thandaper certificate or extract. The online view will not be accepted in place of it.
The fields on a thandaper extract, and why each matters
| Field | What it says | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Holder name and thandaper number | Who the account belongs to, and its number in that village | If this is not you, mutation is pending and nothing else can proceed in your name |
| Survey and sub-division numbers | Every parcel held under the account | A sale or conversion application has to name the exact parcel, not the account |
| Extent | The area of each parcel, in ares | 10.12 ares is 25 cents and 20.23 ares is 50 cents — the Section 27A and Form 6 thresholds |
| Classification | Nilam, parambu, purayidam and so on | Nilam means the Paddy Land and Wetland Act applies; see /services/real-estate/land-conversion |
| Tax assessed and paid | The demand and the payment position | Arrears block certificates; pay at /guides/kerala-land-tax-online |
| Remarks and restrictions | B-memo notations, recorded disputes, assignment conditions | The column that decides whether the land is safely saleable |
What the digital resurvey changed
- New survey numbers. In resurveyed villages the parcel carries a new block and survey number, mapped from the old one. The thandaper follows the new numbering.
- Extent can move. Re-measurement on the ground sometimes produces an extent a few ares different from the deed. The record follows the measurement, and the thandaper follows the record.
- The record becomes conclusive. Once the final notification issues, the boundaries in the record are conclusive proof unless corrected by a court or the Collector, and the window to object closes — see /services/real-estate/digital-resurvey.
- Registration now depends on it. Since May 2025, in digitally resurveyed villages the pre-mutation sketch and thandaper are applied for on Ente Bhoomi before the sale is registered; /guides/pokkuvaravu-mutation-kerala sets out the sequence.
- Check before you sell, not after. A mismatch between the deed and the thandaper stalls a sale at the Sub Registrar’s counter, with the buyer waiting.
Thandaper problems that stop a transaction
Account in a previous owner’s name
Mutation was never done. Everything — tax, certificates, permits — stays with the old holder until it is. Start at /guides/pokkuvaravu-mutation-kerala.
Deceased holder
Inherited land needs a legal heir certificate before the account can move; see /guides/legal-heir-certificate-kerala.
Extent does not match the deed
Either an old measurement error or a resurvey change. Establish which before treating it as a problem, because the remedies are different.
Classification says nilam
The land is paddy or wetland in the record, whatever it looks like on the ground. Building on it needs conversion first — /tools/land-conversion-fee-calculator shows which form.
B-memo in the remarks
Possession noted without assignment, often with a penal assessment. Treat as a title problem, not a paperwork one.
Two accounts for one holding
Common after an informal family partition. The parcels need consolidating or formally sub-dividing before any one share can be sold cleanly.
Questions about thandaper
What is thandaper in Kerala?
The thandaper (തണ്ടപ്പേർ) is the land-tax account a Village Office keeps for a holder. Every holding gets a thandaper number that is unique within its village, and the account lists the survey numbers held, the extent in ares, the classification and the tax position. In English it is usually called the land revenue account or the record of rights, and the paper you get from the office is the thandaper extract or thandaper certificate.
How do I find my thandaper number?
It is printed on your land tax receipt — that is the quickest source. Failing that, search Ente Bhoomi at entebhoomi.kerala.gov.in by district, taluk and village against your survey number, or ask the Village Office, which can retrieve it from your name and survey number. You need it to pay land tax online at /guides/kerala-land-tax-online.
Can I get a thandaper certificate online?
You can view the record online on Ente Bhoomi, and in villages where the resurvey is not complete the older e-Rekha portal still carries the settlement and land registers. But what you see online is a reference, not a certified document. A thandaper extract or certificate that a bank, a court or a land-conversion file will accept is issued by the Village Office, and in many districts is applied for through e-District or an Akshaya centre.
What does a thandaper extract show?
The name of the person in possession and the thandaper number, the survey and sub-division numbers held under it, the extent of each, the land classification — nilam, parambu or purayidam — the tax assessed and paid, and any remarks or restrictions, including B-memo notations and recorded disputes. That last column is the one people skip and later regret.
Why is my thandaper extent in ares when my deed says cents?
Kerala revenue records are metric. One are is 100 square metres, which is 2.4711 cents, so 10.12 ares is 25 cents and 20.23 ares is 50 cents. The deed keeps the traditional unit and the record keeps the metric one; they describe the same ground. Convert at /tools/ares-to-cent.
What is a thandaper sub number?
Where one thandaper account covers several parcels, each parcel carries its own entry under the account — commonly referred to as the sub number. It matters when you are selling or converting only part of your holding, because the application has to identify the exact parcel rather than the whole account.
The thandaper is still in my father’s name. What do I do?
Mutation has not been done. Until the transfer of registry is completed the tax, the possession certificate and any conversion or permit application stay in the previous holder’s name. For inherited land you will need a legal heir certificate first — see /guides/legal-heir-certificate-kerala — and then apply for mutation, at /guides/pokkuvaravu-mutation-kerala.
What is a B-memo entry on a thandaper?
A B-memo is the entry the revenue records carry where land is held without a formal assignment, or where unauthorised occupation of government land has been noted and a penal assessment levied. It is a serious flag on a purchase: the holder may be paying tax while having no assignable title. Anything of this kind in the remarks column should be resolved before money changes hands.
Something odd in the remarks column?
Send us the thandaper extract and the deed. We tell you what the entry means, whether it blocks a sale or a conversion, and what it takes to clear it.