Indian States

Chamba, Faridkot, Gwalior, Jind, Nabha and Patiala: states whose postal conventions with British India let them use Indian stamps overprinted with the state’s name.

Chamba 6 articles A Himalayan hill state whose Indian stamps were overprinted CHAMBA STATE from 1887, carried by a rural network of state post offices. Faridkot 5 articles Faridkot’s handstruck local stamps of the folus and paisa, and its convention overprints of 1887–1901. Gwalior 8 articles Gwalior’s bilingual overprints in English and Hindi, from the convention of 1885 to the George VI issues. Jind 11 articles Jind’s lithographed local stamps of 1874–1885 and its convention overprints, spelt JHIND, JEEND and JIND. Nabha 7 articles Nabha’s convention of 1885 joined a scattered Punjab state to the Indian post; its overprints run from Queen Victoria to George VI. Patiala 7 articles From Patiala’s runner post of 1860 to the first convention overprints of 1884, PUTTIALLA STATE, and the later PATIALA issues.

1. 

   The Convention States of India

   How six princely states shared the Indian post through postal conventions, and why their stamps are Indian stamps with the state’s name.

Princely states that ran their own posts and issued their own stamps, valid within the state, from Alwar and Bhopal to Hyderabad, Jaipur and Travancore.

Alwar 10 articles Alwar’s dagger stamps of 1877–1902: two values, many lithographic stones, and a redrawn quarter anna. Bahawalpur 6 articles Bahawalpur’s post from the camel riders of the State’s official dak to the Amir’s stamps of 1945–49, printed by De La Rue. Bamra 9 articles Bamra’s typeset stamps of 1888–1894, printed at the Raja’s own press in Deogarh, and the reprints that followed. Barwani 6 articles Barwani’s runners’ post of 1861 and its small portrait stamps of Rana Ranjit Singh and Devi Singh, from 1917 or 1921 to 1948. Bhopal 6 articles The hand-drawn ‘primitives’ of Shah Jahan Begum, the Sultan Jahan Begum series and Bhopal’s post to its merger in 1908. Bhor 5 articles Bhor’s two handstruck stamps of 1879, an oval half anna and an oblong one anna, and the labels that are not postage stamps. Bijawar 6 articles Bijawar’s portrait stamps of Maharaja Sawant Singh, 1935–1937: a small Bundelkhand post with ambitious stamps. Bundi 9 articles Bundi’s stamps from the katar dagger of 1894 to the Sacred Cow designs, the arms, the 1947 portraits and the Rajasthan overprints. Bussahir 6 articles Bussahir’s tiger stamps of 1895–1901, for runner routes from Rampur to Chini and Rohru in the Himalaya. Charkhari 7 articles Charkhari’s stamps from the inscription designs of 1894 and the crossed swords to the pictorial views of 1931. Cochin 8 articles Cochin’s Anchal, the state post of the Kerala coast, and its stamps from the puttan seals of 1892 to the views of 1949. Dhar 6 articles Dhar’s typeset stamps of 1897–1901: four years of settings, a Devanagari inscription and the state arms. Duttia 5 articles Duttia’s Ganesh stamps from the disputed manuscript issue of 1893 to the English-inscribed DUTTIA printings of 1916–20. Hyderabad 11 articles The Nizam’s state post, its stamps from 1869 to 1950, registration and parcel services, railway mail and the end of the state post after 1948. Idar 6 articles Idar’s Darbar post and its booklet stamps of Maharaja Himmat Singh, 1932–1944, with the fiscals used for postage. Indore 9 articles Holkar’s post at Indore, from the 1873 department and its runners to the portrait stamps of 1886–1905 and postal unity in 1908. Jaipur 9 articles Jaipur’s sun chariot stamps from 1904, the investiture set of 1931 printed at Nasik, and the portraits of Maharaja Man Singh II. Jammu and Kashmir 11 articles The circular stamps of 1866, the Old and New Rectangulars of Jammu and Srinagar, and the end of the state post in 1894. Jasdan 5 articles Jasdan’s Darbari Tapal of 1942 and its single stamp, a one anna green showing the Sun God. Jhalawar 5 articles Jhalawar’s two quarter anna stamps of 1887 and 1890, with the dancing apsara, and its state post beside the Imperial offices. Kishangarh 6 articles Kishangarh’s stamps from the green one anna of 1899 through the arms and portrait issues to the 1940s. Morvi 5 articles Morvi’s Darbar post of 1931 and the portrait stamps of Maharaja Lakhdirji, printed locally and in London until 1948. Nandgaon 5 articles Raj Nandgaon’s labels and stamps of 1891–1895, printed in Poona and at the Raja’s own press, and the questions over their use. Nawanagar 6 articles Nawanagar’s stamps in docras, from the sword stamp of 1877 to the typeset Gujarati stamps and the state arms of 1893. Orchha 5 articles Orchha’s state post at Tikamgarh, its disputed arms stamps of 1897, the arms issues of 1913 and the portraits of Vir Singh Deo. Poonch 5 articles Poonch’s hand-struck stamps of 1876–1894, from the six pies to the two-panel definitives, and its mountain mail routes. Rajpipla 5 articles Rajpipla’s three sword stamps of 1880, a one paiso and two and four annas, and its short-lived state post. Shahpura 5 articles Shahpura’s state mail, its one pice and one anna stamps, and the receipt stamps used for postage, known mostly from complete notices. Sirmoor 7 articles Sirmoor’s stamps from the one pice of 1879 to the Raja’s portrait printed by Waterlow and the elephant series of 1895. Soruth 7 articles The Junagadh post from its black handstamped one anna of 1864 to the Nasik pictorials of 1929 and the Saurashtra issues of 1949–50. Travancore 10 articles Travancore’s Anchal and its conch shell stamps in cash and chuckrams, from 1888 to the commemoratives of the 1930s and 1940s. Wadhwan 5 articles Wadhwan’s single stamp, a half pice black with the state arms, printed from seven lithographic stones in 1888–1894.

The unions of princely states formed in 1948–49, whose posts carried on with the stamps of their member states, overprinted, until the Indian post took over.

Rajasthan 6 articles The overprinted stamps of the Rajasthan Union: Bundi, Jaipur, Kishangarh and Shahpura stamps marked RAJASTHAN, 1948–1950. Travancore-Cochin 7 articles The last Anchal: Travancore and Cochin united in 1949, changed to Indian currency and surcharged their stamps until the post was integrated.