Tamil Nadu archives catalogue · search by village or title

Tamil Nadu Archives API: settlement, inam and historical records

Yes. tnahr_search searches the catalogue of the Tamil Nadu archives of historical records by village, taluk or district name (for the settlement and inam registers) or by title words (for government orders, books, gazetteers and indices). It knows the colonial spellings, so Sholinganallur also finds SOLINGANALLUR, and Kancheepuram finds CONJEVERAM. Each record comes back with its district, taluk and village and a link to its archive page, where the scanned volume can be opened. It costs 1 credit per search that finds something, and nothing otherwise.

Postman collection Try it in the browser

POSThttps://verified.realestate/api/v1/tools/tnahr_search

Price: 1 credit per answer
Source: Tamil Nadu archives catalogue
Coverage: Pre-independence and later volumes
Answers in: Under a second

Example

Request

curl -X POST https://verified.realestate/api/v1/tools/tnahr_search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LANDLENS_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query":"Sholinganallur","category":"all"}'

Responsereal answer

{
  "ok": true,
  "status": "ok",
  "data": {
    "found": true,
    "query": "Sholinganallur",
    "total_matches": 1,
    "searched_as": ["Sholinganallur", "SOLINGANALLUR"],
    "groups": [
      {
        "category": "ifr",
        "title": "Inam Fair Register (IFR)",
        "total_matches": 1,
        "shown": 1,
        "records": [
          {
            "district": "CHENGALPET",
            "taluk": "SAIDAPET",
            "village": "SOLINGANALLUR",
            "sno": 1653,
            "detail_url": "https://verified.realestate/dashboard/utility/tnahr/ifr/1656-chengalpet-saidapet-solinganallur"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "credits_charged": 1
}

A real answer from the API (22 Oct 2026), with the reading note left out.

What it returns

Matches grouped by register. found is false (status not_found) when nothing in the catalogue matches.

Field	What it holds
`groups`	One group per register: category (osr, ifr, go, pre_mutiny, books, gazettes, indices, gateway), title, total_matches, shown, and records. district_note says when a district was widened to its old district.
`records`	For settlement and inam registers: district, taluk, village, sno (the register's serial) and detail_url, the archive page with the scanned volume. Other registers carry title, year, document_type, department and, for books, accession_number, volume_issue and publisher.
`total_matches`	Matches across every register searched.
`searched_as`	The spellings searched, the colonial forms included.
`query`	What you sent.

Inputs

The JSON body of the POST is the arguments. Only the query is required.

Argument	Type	What to send
`query`required	string	A village, taluk or district name for the settlement and inam registers; title words for the rest.
`category`	string: all, osr, ifr, go, pre_mutiny, books, gazettes, indices, gateway	"all" (the default) sweeps every register, or name one: osr, ifr, go, pre_mutiny, books, gazettes, indices, gateway.
`district`	string	Optional. Narrows the settlement and inam registers to one district.
`year`	string	Optional. Narrows government orders, books, gazettes and indices to one year.

Code

Set LANDLENS_KEY to your key. In an AI app, connect https://verified.realestate/mcp once and ask in plain words instead. In Postman, download this API's collection, import it (File, Import) and set apiKey.

curl -X POST https://verified.realestate/api/v1/tools/tnahr_search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LANDLENS_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query":"Sholinganallur","category":"all"}'

import os, requests

r = requests.post(
    "https://verified.realestate/api/v1/tools/tnahr_search",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['LANDLENS_KEY']}"},
    json={
        "query": "Sholinganallur",
        "category": "all"
    },
    timeout=30,
)
body = r.json()
print(body["status"], body["credits_charged"], body["data"])

const res = await fetch("https://verified.realestate/api/v1/tools/tnahr_search", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.LANDLENS_KEY}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    "query": "Sholinganallur",
    "category": "all"
  }),
});
const body = await res.json();
console.log(body.status, body.credits_charged, body.data);

Is there an inam or old settlement record for Sholinganallur village?

Your AI tries the colonial spellings, says the price, and links you to each scanned register.

Responses

Every answer has the same envelope. What status can say for this call:

status	What it means
`ok`	Something in the catalogue matches. Charged 1 credit.
`not_found`	Nothing matches. Try the old spelling or a wider name. Nothing is charged.
`invalid_args`	The query is missing.

Where the data comes from

The catalogue of the Tamil Nadu archives of historical records: Old Settlement Records (OSR, the settlement registers by village), Inam Fair Registers (IFR, the registers of tax-free land grants), government orders, pre-mutiny records (1670 to 1857), books, manuals and gazetteers, gazettes, departmental indices and gateway records.

Coverage

The volumes in our copy of the catalogue. The settlement and inam registers are filed by the old district, taluk and village names.

How current

Historical. The records do not change; the catalogue copy is extended as more volumes are read.

How we read it

The query is searched as written and in its colonial spellings. A district name is widened to the old district it was part of (Chennai and Kancheepuram to Chingleput, Vellore to North Arcot).

Who uses it

Law firms

Find the inam register entry behind a title that traces back to an inam grant, before advising on it.

Families

Read the native village's settlement register while tracing ancestral land.

Researchers

Search government orders and gazetteers by title and year.

Limits and good practice

These are historical references, not current revenue records.
Records are filed by colonial names and boundaries. Try the old spelling when the modern one finds nothing.
Some book volumes are catalogued by accession number only; where a title shows a bare number, the volume title is not known.

Pricing

1 credit per answer

Each search that finds something costs 1 credit; nothing otherwise. Credits come from the same LandLens wallet as the chat and the minis. How billing works.

Calling at volume?

For thousands of calls a month, a portfolio sweep or a platform built on these registers, we quote a customised bulk price, with invoicing to match.

WhatsApp 99961 29996

Questions

Is there an API for Tamil Nadu archives records?

Yes, this one. It searches the catalogue of the Tamil Nadu archives of historical records and links each match to its scanned volume.

How much does it cost?

1 credit per search that finds something. Nothing otherwise.

What is an Inam Fair Register?

The register in which inam (tax-free) land grants were settled and recorded. An inam origin can matter to a title today.

Why does my village not show up?

The registers use colonial spellings and old district boundaries. The API tries the known old forms; if it still finds nothing, try another spelling or the taluk name.

Updated 22 Oct 2026 · OpenAPI description