Village Codes information
LGD Code: Meaning, Types, Uses and How to Find It
An LGD code is a numeric identifier used in the Local Government Directory (LGD) for administrative and local-government records in India. LGD is maintained under the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India. It provides a common reference for States and Union Territories, districts, sub-districts, villages, development blocks and different types of local bodies.
A code is useful because a place name alone may not be unique. Two villages can have the same English name, a spelling can change, and the same name can appear in different districts or States. The numeric identifier gives the record a more reliable identity than the name by itself.
What does LGD stand for?
LGD stands for Local Government Directory. It is a government directory that brings together codes and administrative relationships used for local governance. The directory is especially useful when data from different departments needs a common place or local-body reference.
Main identifiers used in LGD
LGD does not use one code for every level. Each type of entity has its own identifier. On Village Codes, you may see the following:
- State or Union Territory code: identifies the State/UT record.
- District code: identifies a district in LGD.
- Sub-district code: identifies a tehsil, taluk, mandal, circle or other sub-district-level unit as represented in LGD.
- Village code: identifies an individual village record.
- Development-block code: identifies a development block where that structure is used.
- Local-body code: identifies a Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, Zilla Parishad, municipality, municipal corporation, traditional local body or another local-government entity recorded in LGD.
The numbers should always be read together with their entity type. A village code and a district code are not interchangeable simply because both are numeric.
How is a village identified in LGD?
Each LGD village record has its own numeric village identifier. A village page on this site keeps that number as the main current identifier and shows the administrative context around it, such as State/UT, district and sub-district. Where the source provides additional information, the page can also show development-block relationships, local-body mappings, Census references, village status, local-language name and PIN information.
Why these identifiers are useful
LGD identifiers are useful whenever a place must be identified more precisely than by name. Common examples include:
- Government data matching: joining records from systems that use LGD identifiers.
- Rural and local-government applications: identifying Panchayats, villages and administrative units correctly.
- Research and data analysis: reducing confusion when villages have repeated or similar names.
- Directory and API development: using a stable numeric key when building location-based datasets and services.
- Administrative verification: checking that the selected village belongs to the expected district or sub-district.
- Historical comparison: connecting current LGD records with Census 2011 or Census 2001 references when a valid cross-reference is available.
Check the identifier together with the place name
A code is stronger than a name, but the surrounding hierarchy still matters. Before using a village code in an important dataset, check the village name, State/UT, district and sub-district shown with it. This is particularly important for common names such as Rampur, Lakshmipur, Kalyanpur or other names that can occur in more than one place.
How to find a village identifier
- Open the Village Code Finder.
- Enter at least five letters of the English village name, or enter the exact numeric code if you already know it.
- Compare the State, district and other location details when more than one result has the same name.
- Open the village page and confirm the current village identifier in the “Village codes and identifiers” section.
- If the code will be used for an official submission or legal purpose, verify it again with the official Local Government Directory.
LGD and Census codes belong to different systems
The current Local Government Directory identifier and a Census village code serve different reference systems. Census identifiers refer to the geography used for a particular Census year, while LGD reflects administrative records maintained through the Local Government Directory. A page may show both identifiers, only the current one, or no usable Census cross-reference at all. See LGD Code vs Census Village Code for a detailed comparison.
LGD and PIN codes serve different purposes
A PIN code is used by India Post for postal routing, while the village identifier in LGD refers to an administrative record. One postal PIN can serve several villages, and an administrative village does not necessarily match a postal delivery boundary. See Village LGD Code vs PIN Code.
Why some fields are blank
Not every LGD record contains every supporting field. A village may have no local-language name, no block mapping, no local-body relationship or no usable Census cross-reference in the source snapshot. Village Codes does not invent a value to fill such a gap. Zero-filled Census placeholders such as 000000 are treated as unavailable rather than displayed as real identifiers.
Can records or identifiers change?
Administrative structures can change when villages are created, merged, reorganised or reassigned, and LGD records can receive later versions. For this reason, always consider the data snapshot date shown on the site. A code shown here describes the LGD source used for that snapshot; a later official release may contain an updated record or relationship.
How Village Codes presents LGD information
Village Codes is an independent reference website. It keeps the current identifier, administrative hierarchy and available cross-references together on one page so that the record is easier to understand. It does not issue official identifiers or replace the government directory.