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Mortgage is the transfer of an interest in an immovable property. The interest may be transferred for the purpose of:
a.Securing the payment of money advanced.
b.Securing the payment of money to be advanced by way of loan.
c.Securing the payment of an existing or future debt.
d.Securing the performance of an engagement which may give rise to a monetary liability.

The person who transfers the interest in the immovable property is the mortgagor, the person to whom the interest is transferred is the mortgagee .The instrument, if any, by which the transfer is effected is called mortgage deed. There are various types of mortgage like simple mortgage, mortgage by conditional sale, usufructuary mortgage, English mortgage, Anomalous mortgage, mortgage by deposit of title deeds etc.

In a simple mortgage, the possession of the mortgaged property is not delivered by the mortgagor. However, in the event of the mortgagor failing to pay the mortgage money, according to the contract, the mortgagee shall have a right to sell the mortgaged property and to realize the mortgage money from the sale proceeds. In a usufructuary mortgage, the mortgagor delivers the possession of the property to the mortgagee. The mortgagee can retain the possession till payment of the mortgage money by the mortgagor. The mortgagee can receive the rents and profits, accruing from the property, and appropriate the same in lieu of interest or in payment of mortgage money.

In a mortgage by deposit of title deeds, a person delivers to a creditor or his agent documents of title to an immovable property with intent to create a security thereon. A mortgage where the principle money secured is more than Rs 100/- can be effected only by a registered instrument. However this is not applicable in the case of mortgage by title deeds.
A mortgagor has a valid right called right to redeem. This means that, at any time principle money has become due, the mortgagor has a right on payment of the mortgage money, to require the mortgagee:

a) to deliver to the mortgagor,  the mortgage deeds and all documents relating to the mortgaged property in his possession.
b) to deliver possession of mortgage property to the mortgagor and to retransfer the  mortgaged property.

A mortgagor who has executed two or mortgages in favour of the same mortgagee, shall be entitled to redeem any one of such mortgage separately, or any two or more of such mortgages together.If any accession or improvement has happened to the mortgaged property during the possession with the mortgagee, then the mortgagor will be entitled to such accession and improvements upon redemption.

In Karnataka there are many restrictions on the holding or transfer of agricultural land by persons or families. No person who, or a family which, has an annual income of not less than two lakhs rupees from sources other than agricultural lands shall be entitled to acquire any agricultural land, whether as landowner, landlord, tenant or as a mortgagee with possession or otherwise. For the purpose of calculating the annual income, the average annual income of five consecutive preceding years is taken into account. Any acquisition in violation of this rule is deemed to be null and void. Persons or families holding land in violation of this rule are supposed to file a declaration to the jurisdictional tahsildar, who shall forward the same to the Deputy Commissioner, who shall notify such lands as transferred to the state government.

Further, no person, other than a person cultivating land personally shall be entitled to hold agricultural land. However, educational, religious or charitable institution or society or trust of a public nature, capable of holding property, formed for an educational, religious or charitable purpose, can hold property when the income from the land is appropriated solely for the institution or the society or the trust concerned.

Similarly agricultural land cannot be sold, gifted, exchanged, leased or mortgaged (with possession) to a person who is not either an agriculturist or an agricultural laborer. However the jurisdictional Assistant Commissioner may grant permission to acquire land, to persons who bonafide intend to take up agriculture, provided the transferee takes up agriculture within one year from the date of acquisition.