Historic Cities of India 24.12.1990

 India's is an ancient civilisation which has seen the rise and fall of many kingdoms and cities. Many of its cities, through hundreds of years old, are still vibrant with life today. To draw attention to this rich legacy, stamps on historic cities of India are issued from time to time. The first set shown here consists of stamps on the historic cities of Bikaner, Cuttack and Hyderabad.

(Rs4.00) The city of Bikaner was founded in 1488 by Rao Bika, son of Rao Jodha, the founder of Jodhpur. Bika laid the foundation of a city which has endured the vicissitudes of five centuries of turbulent history. Junagarh Fort was built by Raja Rai Singh a century later. Situated in the heart of great Thar desert with its oppressive and hostile climate, Bikaner has yet flourished i arts, crafts and culture. The Anup Sanskrit Library is world renowned. Maharaja Ganga Singh, who modernised the city besides building numerous public utilities and the Lalgarh Palace, also constructed the longest brick-lined canal in 1927. With its rich cultural heritage, Bikaner is one of the foremost tourist spots in Rajasthan.

(Rs5.00) Hyderabad completed 400 years of its existence in 1990. Founded along the river Mussi, a tributary of river Krishna, environs of Hyderabad have highly picturesque appearance. It was founded by Mohammed Quli, the fifth Qutab-Shahi kings. Hyderabad was the fulcrum of cultural and political activities in the southern part in India more commonly known as Deccan. The city boasts of Charminar, a stately rectangular building of 180 ft. height built in 1591. It also has the famous Salarjung Museum. It is dotted with water reservoirs such as Osman Sagar, Himayet Sagar, Hussain Sagar and Meer Alam Tank. The city got consolidated as the seat of power for the erstwhile state of Hyderabad during the reign of Asaf Jah, the Nizam of Hyderabad. Ever since its inception, the city has been centre of rich cultural traditions and customs side by side with its status of political and commercial capital.

(Rs6.50) The city of Cuttack is celebrating the millenium of its existence. It is situated on the Peninsula created by the bifurcation of Mahanadi river. Cuttack played and continues to play, a dominant role in the history of India. The most important land mark of the city is the Fort of Barabati which was originally built by King Anangabhim Deva-III (1211-38). He also built the stone revetment along the banks of Mahanadi and Hatojori rivers to protect the city against floods. King Mukunda Deva (1559-68) added to Barabati Fort to make it a 9 storey building. Cutack, over the centuries, fostered and nurtured the growth of civilisation in this part of India and remains famous for its arts, crafts and culture. Among other notable landmarks are the Amareshwar temple and the Jain temple built in the 18th century.