Stamps issued by the Princely States of India 6.10.2010

India Post issued a set of commemorative postage stamps on the stamps issued by the Princely States of India.

India prior to 1947 consisted of – India under the British Rule and Princely States or Native India. A Princely State was generally a nominally sovereign entity under British rule in India that was not directly administered by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.

There were as many as 568 states in India before Independence. These native states ceased to exist after Independence as per the provisions of the India Independence Act, 1947. 

However, some of these Princely States left a legacy which is valuable in philatelic circles. The set of four commemorative postage stamps on Princely States depict the stamps issued by the Princely States – Sirmaur, Indore, Bamra and Cochin.

The postage stamps issued by the states carried the portraits of the kings and princes, regal insignia or symbols. Printed using a variety of methods and colours, the stamps were sometimes overprinted too. The history of each state was inextricably linked with its postage stamps and stationery.

Sirmaur :

The princely State of Sirmaur was founded in 1616. It was located in the region which is now the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh. The state was also known as Nahan after its main city. It was ruled by Rajput chiefs who used the title Raja. The state was founded by Soba Rawal who assumed the name Raja Sobans Prakash. The new capital was founded in 1621 by Raja Karam Prakash who renamed the state Sirmaur.

The stamps of Sirmaur are sometimes considered the most attractive amongst the feudatory state stamps. Generally in denominations of pies and annas, they were issued from 1879 onwards.

Indore :

Indore was an important princely state in Central India. Founded by the ancestors of present day land owners in the region, it spread from the banks of Narmada to the borders of Rajputana with headquarters at a village named Kampel. Their rulers were conferred different titles like Chaudhari during Mughal rule, Mandloi during the Peshwa rule and Raja Rao by the Holkars. Rao Nandlal Chaudhary, 

Stamps were issued from 1885 to 1906, when the state postal service was taken over by the British India Post Office. The stamps carried the denomination in annas.

Bamra :

Bamra, one of the princely States, covered an area of 5149 square km. The state is one of the five Oriya feudatories, which were transferred from the Central Provinces to Bengal, on the reconstitution of that province in October 1905 with Deogarh as its capital.

Cochin :

The Kingdom of Cochin included much of modern day Thrissur district, Chittoor taluk, Kochi taluk, parts of Kanayannur taluk, Aluva taluk and Paravur taluk which are today a part of Kerala.

The Stamps were, issued from 1892 to 1949 in denominations of pies and puttans.