Morvi: the Jadeja State, Its Darbar Post and Portrait Stamps

The state behind the stamp

Morvi, now Morbi in Gujarat, stood on the Machhu river in Kathiawar, about 40 miles from Rajkot, and was ruled by Jadeja Rajputs. Government mail passed through Morvi long before the Darbar stamps: the report for 1912–13 records a robbery of the mail in 1912 and a proposal to carry it by tramway. Morvi opened its own post to the public only in 1931, a late start that makes it a compact field, though its short life holds several changes of design, language and charge.^[3][13][1]

The official compilation of 1932 by C. U. Aitchison records that Waghji succeeded in 1870 and died on 6 June 1922, and that his son Lakhdirji succeeded him in 1922. Lakhdirji was the ruler of the stamp period, and his portrait is on every stamp; the reign does not tell us who designed them.^[14]

The State Press existed well before the stamps: the title page of the report for 1912–13 reads “Printed at the State Press”, Morvi, 1913. That shows the press and its official printing, not a commission for later stamps, and it names no designer, engraver or London printer.^[14][13]

Reign	Ruler	Note
1870–1922	Thakur Waghji	Succeeded 1870; died 6 June 1922 (Aitchison)
from 1922	Maharaja Sir Lakhdirji Waghji	Succeeded his father; ruler throughout the stamp period

Chronology

Date	Event
13 August 1912	Robbery of Government mail between Bagthala and Morvi; the next report proposes carrying mail by tramway
1913	The State Press prints the administration report for 1912–13
1922	Lakhdirji succeeds Waghji
1 April 1931	Darbar post opened to the public, as reported from official records by Dhroove and Röver; Dutta gives 4 January
26 April 1931	An English card used at Morvi, reported by Hilbers; Bhojak’s earliest is 28 April
1932–33	Douie receives the redrawn sheets of eight
May 1934	Douie receives the new-portrait three pies and one anna
1935 or 1936	The later Morvi Press printings (modern grouping 1935; Stoney’s catalogue 1936)
1 September 1942 or 9 January 1943	Postcard raised to six pies (Dhroove, Dutta); Order 10104 still to be found
1 October 1944	Order 13078 of 26 August: letter one anna, registration one anna six pies, acknowledgement six pies
1 January 1947	Card rate back to three pies (Dutta)
After 15 February 1948	End of Morvi’s separate postal administration (Dutta)

The stamps

The issues and their values, from the research checklist; postal stationery is described in the article on rates and postcards.

Period	Issue	Values
1931	Wide portrait design	3 pies, ½ anna, 2 annas
1931–32	Narrow portrait design	3 pies, ½ anna, 1 anna, 2 annas
1932–33	Third portrait group	3 pies, 6 pies, 1 anna, 2 annas
1934	London printing: perforation 14 catalogue group	3 pies, 6 pies, 1 anna, 2 annas
1935–1948	Later portrait printing: perforation 11 catalogue group	3 pies, 6 pies, 1 anna, 2 annas
1931–1948	Single and reply postcards (postal stationery)	3 pies, 6 pies
1936 / 1938, conflicting reports	Registered envelope (postal stationery)	Denomination not independently established
Date not established in this extract	Double-die postal-stationery envelope (postal stationery)	6 pies + 3 pies

Sources

• [1] Lt. Col. J. Dutta, “Morvi State Post Cards”, Ind Dak, December 2000, pp. 240–243.
• [3] Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th edition (1911), “Morvi”, historical geographical entry.
• [13] Morvi State, Annual Administration Report for the year 1912–13, Morvi: State Press, 1913, p. 3, paragraphs 10–12.
• [14] C. U. Aitchison, A Collection of Treaties, Engagements and Sanads Relating to India and Neighbouring Countries, vol. VI, Western India States and Baroda, revised to 1930, Calcutta, 1932, p. 100, section 9, Morvi.