Chapter preview (first two pages only):
The origins of postage stamps in Saurashtra is described by Wood and Meher (1999): ‘Before the introduction of postage stamps officials had their own personal seals which used to mark their mail. This custom was to be copied for the production of the first stamps in Soruth. They were struck singly, possibly with a locally engraved brass die, on various papers available at the time from the local bazaar. The ink medium used was black water-colour, shades differing only in the amount of water used in the mix. Unfortunately the impressions are seldom cleanly and perfectly struck, therefore perfect copies are practically unknown’.
Figure 98. First postage stamp of Junagadh State, 1864 AD (from Wood and Meher 1999).
The postal service known as Saurashtra Dak (Saurashtra Post) was introduced by Nawab Mahabat Khanji II in 1863. It was primarily meant for carrying official post from officers in Junagadh to officers in the Mahals (divisions) and vice versa. A little later the public were allowed to enjoy the benefits of this service (Malaviya 1999).
The first postage stamps of the State were issued for Junagadh in November 1864. Sorath was the first among the Indian Feudatory States to issue postage stamps. They consisted of three lines of Hindi script in colourless letters on black, and were produced by handstamping with watercolour ink. According to Wood and Meher (1999): ‘The three line of intaglio writing on the stamp read SAURASHTRA DAK Samvat 1921 and the date 1921 is of the Samvat calendar and translates to AD 1864/65. Therefore the actual date of issue could have been later than the 1864 stated in catalogues, but it is believed to be November 1864. The first confirmed dates of use are 7th April 1867 and 18th April 1867. Soruth was the first Indian Native State to issue stamps…This hand-struck seal was later used as a cancel at Junagadh for the typeset issues that followed them’. There was no indication of value in the inscription, but according to its usage, it was 2½ dokda, and it was allowed to be affixed on a letter up to ½ tola (about 5 grams) in weight. Postal rates were fixed by the State at half the rates of the Imperial Post, i.e. British India Post. These stamps were used for two to three years, though originally intended for only one year. No new die was prepared for the subsequent year (Malaviya 1999).
A regular Postal Department was established by the State in 1868, and the Saurashtra Post Office Act was passed during the same year.
A second issue of stamps, in 1868, were type-set printed stamps, and were produced by the printing press that was established by the State in 1867 at Junagadh. The square design included the inscription ‘SORUTH POSTAGE’ at the top, and ‘ONE ANNA OF A KOREE’ (or ‘TWO ANNAS…’) at the bottom. Some of these were surcharged in 1913–14, followed by redesigned stamps in 1914. Further printing of ‘2 annas of a koree’ stamps was discontinued by the State and a new denomination of ‘4 annas of a koree’ was introduced later in 1868.
Figure 99. Type-set printed postage stamps of Junagadh State, printed in 1868 AD (from Malaviya 1999).
In 1877 the State issued new stamps in colour. The values were of 1 anna, and 4 annas of a koree, and the plates were engraved in London. The issue of 1877 was the first to include Latin letters (i.e. English), but the inscriptions were also in Urdu and Devanagari. The 1 anna stamps were green and the 4 anna stamps were red. A second issue of these stamps occurred in 1886.