Postage stamps and postal history of India
Indian postal systems for efficient military and governmental communications had developed long before the arrival of Europeans. When the
Although the Indian Post Office was established in 1837, Asia's first adhesive stamp, the
Postal history of India
The Post in ancient and medieval India
The history of India's postal system begins long before the introduction of postage stamps. The antecedents have been traced to the systems of the
In ancient times the kings (or Raja), emperors (or Maharaja), rulers, zamindars (or the feudal lords) protected their land through the intelligence services of specially trained police or military agencies and courier services to convey and obtain information through runners, messengers and even through pigeons in most parts of India. The chief of the secret service, known as the Daakpaal (postmaster), maintained the lines of communication ... The people used to send letters to [their] distant relatives through their friends or neighbors.[3]
The first Sultan of Delhi, before the Mughals colonised India,
In the South of India, in 1672 Raja Chuk Deo of Mysore began an efficient postal service which was further improved upon by Haider Ali.[4]
Posts and the East India Company
The East India Company took constructive steps to improve the existing postal systems in India when, in 1688, they opened a post office in
Carrying the mail was dangerous work:
- With the exception of such parts as may be infested by tigers, the post seldom or never fails of arriving within an hour of its appointed time, except, as has been observed, when the waters are out. In this case, many circuitous roads must be followed, whereby the way is considerably lengthened. Taking the average, a hundred miles per day may be run over by the dawk, or post, in fair weather. Each mail-bag is conveyed by an hurkaru (or runner) who is attended by one or two doogy-wallahs, or drummers, who keep up a kind of long-roll, as they pass any suspicious place.[7]
The Post Office Act XVII of 1837 provided that the Governor-General of India in Council had the exclusive right of conveying letters by post for hire within the territories of the East India Company. Section XX required all private vessels to carry letters at prescribed rates for postage.[8] A handstamp was applied to preadhesive ship letters.[9] The mails were available to certain officials without charge, which became a controversial privilege as the years passed. On this basis the Indian Post Office was established on 1 October 1837.[10]
The urgent European mails were carried overland via
The Scinde District Dawk
The use of the
The new stamps were embossed individually onto
The Reforms of 1854 and the First Issues
The first stamps valid for postage throughout India were placed on sale in October 1854 with four values: 1/2
These stamps were issued following a Commission of Inquiry which had carefully studied the postal systems of Europe and America. In the opinion of Geoffrey Clarke, the reformed system was to be maintained "for the benefit of the people of India and not for the purpose of swelling the revenue."
The East India Company already had attempted a 1/2 anna vermilion stamp in April 1854, known as the "9½ arches essay". This could not be produced in quantity because it required an expensive vermilion pigment not readily available from England, and the substituted Indian pigment destroyed the printing stones.
A new design for stamps, with
The Reforms of 1866 and the Provisionals
The volume of mail moved by the postal system increased relentlessly, doubling between 1854 and 1866, then doubling again by 1871. The Post Office Act XIV introduced reforms by 1 May 1866 to correct some of the more apparent postal system deficiencies and abuses. Postal service efficiencies also were introduced. In 1863 new lower rates were set for "steamer" mail to Europe at 6 annas 8 pies for a 1/2 ounce letter. Lower rates were introduced for inland mail, as well.
New regulations removed the special postal privileges which had been enjoyed by officials of the East India Company. Stamps for official use were prepared and carefully accounted for to combat the abuse of privileges by officials. In 1854 Spain had printed special stamps for official communications, but in 1866 India was the first country to adopt the simple expedient of overprinting 'Service' on postage stamps and 'Service Postage' on revenue stamps. This innovation became widely adopted by other countries in later years.[20][21]
Shortages developed, so these stamps also had to be improvised. Some of the "Service Postage" overprinted rarities of this year resulted from the sudden changes in postal regulations. New designs for the 4 annas and "6 annas 8 pies" stamps were issued in 1866. Nevertheless, there was a shortage of stamps to meet the new rates.
Another four new designs appeared, one at a time, between 1874 and 1876.
A complete new set of stamps was issued in 1882 for the
Three stamps, featuring a detail from Heinrich von Angeli's 1885 portrait of Queen Victoria,[23] in 2, 3 and 5 rupee denominations, were introduced in 1895. Other existing designs were reprinted in new colours in 1900.
Postal history of Indian states
British India had hundreds of
The Convention States are those which had postal conventions (or agreements) with the
The Feudatory States maintained their own postal services within their territories and issued stamps with their own designs. Many of the stamps were imperforate and without gum, as issued. Many varieties of type, paper, inks and dies are not listed in the standard catalogues. The stamps of each Feudatory State were valid only within that State, so letters sent outside that State needed additional British India postage.
- Below is a list of the Convention states and Feudatory Indian states
Convention states | Feudatory states (starting – ending years) | ||
|
Both Faridkot and Jind, as feudatory states, issued their own stamps before they joined the Postal Convention. Faridkot joined on 1 January 1887. Jind joined in July 1885; its stamps from the feudatory period became invalid for postage, but they continued to be used for revenue purposes.
The early 20th century
In 1902 a new series depicting King Edward VII generally reused the frames of the Victoria stamps, with some color changes, and included values up to 25 rupees. The higher values were often used for the payment of telegraph and parcel fees. Generally, such usage will lower a collector's estimation of a stamp's value; except those from remote or "used abroad" offices.[25]
The 1911 stamps of King George V were more florid in their design. It is reported that George V, a philatelist, personally approved these designs. In 1919 a 1½ anna stamp was introduced, inscribed "ONE AND HALF ANNA", but in 1921 this changed to "ONE AND A HALF ANNAS". In 1926 the watermark changed to a pattern of multiple stars.
The first pictorial stamps appeared in 1931. The set of six, showing the fortress of
The stamps issued in 1937 depicted various forms of mail transports, with King George VI's effigy appearing on the higher values. A new issue in 1941, constrained by the austerity of World War II, consisted of rather plain designs using minimal amounts of ink and paper. As Indian Post Offices annually required some billions of stamps for postage, as a measure of economy the large pictorial stamps were immediately withdrawn and smaller stamps were issued. Even this did not ease the paper situation and it was thought desirable to reduce the size even more.[26]
A victory issue in January 1946 was followed in November 1947 by a first
Postage stamps were generally issued separately from the revenue stamps. However, in 1906, the set of King Edward VII stamps were issued in two values, half anna and one anna with the caption "INDIA POSTAGE & REVENUE". The George V Series (1911 to 1933) added two more values, two annas and four annas to the Postage & Revenue stamps. These dual-purpose issues were an exception and generally the two types were issued separately.
India Security Press
From 1 January 1926 all printing and overprinting of India' postage stamps was conducted at India Security Press, Nasik. The possibility of printing postage stamps and other security items in India had been enquired into before the
The printing of stamps at Nasik began in 1925. The first stamps produced were the definitive series of George V, printed using
The new technique of photogravure printing was installed in 1952. The October 1952 series of six values on the theme of Saints and Poets was the first to be so produced. However, these were not the first photogravure stamps of India, having been preceded by the first Gandhi series of 1948, which were printed by Courvoisier of Geneva using the photogravure technique. Since then, photogravure has been used to produce all Indian stamps; typography and lithography being reserved for service labels only.[27]
Independent India
The First Stamp of Independent India was issued on 21 November 1947. It depicts the
A memorial to
Definitives included a technology and development theme in 1955, a series all showing the map of India in 1957, denominated in
The old inscription of "INDIA POSTAGE" was replaced in 1962 with "भारत INDIA", though three stamps issued between December 1962/January 1963 carried the earlier inscription.[18]
India has printed stamps and postal stationery for other countries, mostly neighbours. Countries which have had stamps printed in India include Burma (before independence), Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Portugal, and Ethiopia.[27]
The Indian Postal Service today
The Department of Posts, operating as India Post, is a government-operated postal system, simply referred to within India as "the post office". With its far-flung reach and its presence in remote areas, the Indian postal service provides many services such as small savings banking and financial services. As of 31 March 2011, the Indian Postal Service has 154,866 post offices, of which 139,040 (89.78%) are in rural areas and 15,826 (10.22%) are in urban areas. It has 25,464 departmental POs and 129,402 ED BPOs. At the time of independence, there were 23,344 post offices, which were primarily in urban areas. Thus, the network has registered a sevenfold growth since Independence, with the expansion primarily in rural areas. On an average, a post office serves an area of 21.23 sq;km and a population of 7,114 people.[29] India is believed to have the most widely distributed system in the world (China has 57,000, Russia 41,000 and the United States 38,000 offices).[citation needed] This proliferation of offices results from India's history of having many disparate postal systems, eventually unified in the Indian Union after Independence.
India has been divided into 22 postal circles, each circle headed by a Chief Postmaster General. Each Circle is further divided into Regions comprising field units, called Divisions, headed by a Postmaster General, and further divided into units headed by SSPOs & SPOs and Sub Divisions headed by ASPs and IPS. Other functional units like Circle Stamp Depots, Postal Stores Depots and Mail Motor Service exist in various Circles and Regions. Besides the 22 circles, there is a special Base Circle to provide the postal services for the Armed Forces of India. The Base Circle is headed by an Additional Director General, Army Postal Service holding the rank of a Major General.
Gandhi, Nehru and other historic personalities continued to appear on the postal issues coming from the country since Independence, with almost half a century seeing the Gandhi definitives of denominations most frequently used in the era concerned, becoming synonymous with a postage stamp to the Indian people of that respective time period[citation needed]. New themes are now finding their place on Indian postage stamps, with some stamps issued jointly with postal agencies of other countries, renewable energy sources, the local flora and fauna and even the special annual issues wishing season's greetings. On 9 March 2011 India Post launched an online e-post office.[30] The portal provides electronic money orders, instant money orders, stamps for collectors, postal information, tracking of express and international shipments, PIN code search and registration of feedback and complaints online.[31]
National Philatelic Museum
But I hit upon a much simpler plan. I gathered together all the children in my locality and asked them to volunteer two or three hours' labour of a morning when they had no school. This they willingly agreed to do. I promised to bless them and give them, as a reward, used postage stamps which I had collected.
Mahatma Gandhi, Rajkot 1896.[32]
The National Philatelic Museum of India was inaugurated on 6 July 1968 in New Delhi. It had its beginning at a meeting of the Philatelic Advisory Committee on 18 September 1962. Besides the large collection of India Postage stamps designed, printed and issued, it has a large collection of Indian states, both confederate and feudatory, early essays, proofs and colour trials, a collection of Indian stamps "used abroad" and as well as early Indian postcards, postal stationery and thematic collections.[18]
The museum was extensively renovated in 2009. It now includes more exhibits, a philatelic bureau and other postal objects such as beautiful Victorian post boxes.[33]
An international philatelic exhibition was held from 12 to 18 February 2011, on the centenary of India's first official air mail. For the occasion of INDIPEX 2011 India Post brought out a special stamp on Mahatma Gandhi to commemorate the event. It is printed on khadi, the handspun cotton material that Gandhi held out as the symbol of self-determination and self-reliance. The Presentation Pack was released by Pratibha Patil, the President of India on Saturday 12 February 2011 at INDIPEX 2011, the World Philatelic Exhibition held in New Delhi, the capital of India.[34]
See also
- Communications in India
- Indian Postal Service
- List of postage stamps of India
- Inverted Head 4 Annas
- Philatelic Society of India
- Postage stamps depicting Mahatma Gandhi
- Revenue stamps of India
References and sources
- References
- ^ a b India Postage Stamps 1947–1988.(1989) Philately branch, Department of Posts, India.
- ^ a b Souvenir sheet of the Independence series of stamps, Indian Posts, 1948
- ^ Mohini Lal Mazumdar, The Imperial Post Offices of British India. Calcutta, Phila Publications, (1990) p. 1.
- ^ a b c d e Pg 29, Datta et al. (2009). Rare stamps of the World.
- ISBN 81-85292-07-8
- ^ E. G. Oehme, India Post, No. 72. India Study Circle.
- Kingsbury, Parbury & Allen, London, (1825)
- ^ Acts of the government of India from 1834 to 1838 inclusive. House of Commons. 1840. pp. 65–66. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ J.L.R. Croft, "Aden Ship Letters", The Philatelist, (December 1868) p. 70.
- ^ Robson Lowe, Encyclopedia of British Empire Postage Stamps, v. III London, Robson Lowe, Ltd. (1951), p. 134.
- ^ "Thomas Fletcher Waghorn (1800–1850)". Egypt Study Circle. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ISBN 1-135-39399-0
- ^ "Scinde, India", First Issues Collectors Club Archived 4 September 2012 at archive.today . Retrieved 25 September.
- ^ H.D.S. Haverbeck, "The Sind District Dawk," The Collectors Club Philatelist v. 44 no. 2 (March 1965) pp. 79–85.
- ^ Jesper Andersen. "First Issues Collectors Club of stamps and philatelic material". First Issues Collectors Club. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ Clarke, Geoffrey (1920). The Post Office of India and its Story. Plymouth: William Brendon & Son, Ltd. p. 22.
- ^ "The Indian Mutiny|".
- ^ a b c d e Saksena, Vishnu S., Notes for the Indian Stamp Collector, Army Postal Service Historic & Philatelic Society. Pratibha Printing Press, New Delhi (1989), pp. 84–89
- ^ R.M.S. Rangoon was wrecked upon leaving Galle Harbor 1 November 1871. The Mercury, Hobart, Tasmania, 28 Nov 1871, p.3.
- ^ Alan C. Campbell, "The Design Evolution of the United States Official Stamps", U.S. Philatelic Classics Society Chronicle, Vol. 48, Nos. 1 and 2, Whole Nos. 169 and 170 (February and May 1996).
- stampdesigned for official use; it resembled the Penny Black, except for the letters V R in the upper corners.
- ^ Klug, Janet. "Into the breach: provisional stamps fill the gap". Refresher Course. Linns Stamp News.
- ^ "Royal Collection – Queen Victoria". The Royal Collection. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ Mohini Lal Mazumdar, Early History and Growth of Postal System in India, Calcutta, Phila Publications, (1995) p. 358.
- ^ Gerald Davis and Denys Martin, Burma Postal History, including the 1987 Supplement, Robson Lowe, Ltd., Woods of Perth, Scotland. (1971), pp. 184–94.
- ^ Jal Manekji Cooper (1969). A Specialised Priced Catalogue of Indian Stamps, 1852–1968. Bombay: Jal Cooper. p. 21.
- ^ a b India Security Press
- ^ "Ashok Kumar Bayanwala, "Archaeological Series – 15th August 1949"". Indian Philately. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- India Posts. 2012. p. 14. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ "E-post office: India Post launches online postal transactions service". The Times of India. 10 March 2011. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012.
- ^ "India Post launches ePost Office". IBNLive. Archived from the original on 12 March 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ Saksena, Vishnu S., Notes for the Indian Stamp Collector, Army Postal Service Historic & Philatelic Society. Pratibha Printing Press, New Delhi (1989), Frontispiece
- Indian Postal Service.
- ^ "INDIPEX 2011 – News and Pics". Rainbow Stamp Club. 2 February 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- Sources
- Crofton, C.S.F. and Wilmot Corfield (1905) The Adhesive Fiscal and Telegraph Stamps of British India. Calcutta: Thacker, Spink & Co.
- Philatelic Society of India.
- Datta, Jayanta; Datta, Anjali; Datta, Jayoti & Datta, Ananya. (2008). Rare stamps of the world. Army Philatelic Society, Mumbai.
- Philatelic Society of India, H. Garratt-Adams & Co. and Stanley Gibbons, Ltd., London
- Haverbeck, H.D.S. (1985). "The Sind District Dawk," The Collectors Club Philatelist v. 44 no. 2 (March 1965) pp. 79–85.
- Lowe, Robson. (1951) Encyclopedia of British Empire Postage Stamps v.III, pp. 131–6. "The Sind District Dawk," pp. 149–152.
- Smythies, E. A. and Martin, D. R.. (1930). The Four Annas Lithographed Stamps of India, 1854–55. Philatelic Society of India and Stanley Gibbons Ltd., London.
- Smythies, E. A., and Martin, Denys R. (1928). The Half Anna Lithographed Stamps of India. Published for the Philatelic Society of India, Lahore, 1928.
- Mazumdar, Mohini Lal (1995) Early History and Growth of Postal System in India. Calcutta, RDDHI-India. ISBN 81-85292-07-8[The postal history through 1858]
- Mazumdar, Mohini Lal (1990) The Imperial Post Offices of British India. Calcutta, Phila Publications.
- Saksena, Vishnu S. (1989) Notes for the Indian Stamp Collector. Army Postal Service Historic & Philatelic Society. Pratibha Printing Press, New Delhi.
- ISBN 0-356-10862-7
- Stanley Gibbons Ltd: various catalogues.
- Stewart-Wilson, Sir Charles. (1904). British Indian Adhesive Stamps (Queen's Head) Surcharged for Native States, rev. ed. with B.G. Jones.
External links
- Ashok K. Bayanwala, "Survey of Post Independence Indian Postal History"
- Welcome to the World of Indian Philately
- Gallery of Indian Postage Stamps
- Modern Indian States postage stamp forgeries: an illustrated checklist by David Heppell.
- Early India Cancellations, 1873–1884 : Jal Cooper Types 32 – 35
- Sikh Thematic Philately : Indian & Worldwide Stamps on Sikhs