Post office · Bengal Presidency
ChittagongPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Chittagong postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 4 Chittagong handstamps recorded between 1788 and 1851, Bengal Presidency, with 12 Chittagong covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 4
- Recorded
- 1788–1851
- Rare
- 1
Chittagong, in East Bengal, is situated 22°21' N and 91°50' E, on the right bank of the Kamaphuli River, 12 miles from its mouth. In the possession of the Moghals until 1760, when it was ceded to the East India Company, to become the headquarters of their Bengal trade.
Chittagong has 4 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1788–1851 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Chittagong handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Chittagong— postal history & markings
Chittagong's four handstamps reach back to 1788, when HG 1 — rare — opens the record of this East Bengal port on the Karnaphuli. The office worked mainly in black, HG 2 scarce and the later marks in common use. Long in Moghal possession before the British, the town leaves a small but genuinely early record from the far east of Bengal. For the collector, the rare 1788 opener is the mark to seek, anchoring one of the more remote of the eastern offices in the first years of organised Company posting.
Frequently asked — Chittagong postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Chittagong?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Chittagong are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Chittagong post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Chittagong was a post office of the Bengal Presidency, British India, and this census records 4 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1788 and 1851.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Chittagong?
- 4 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Chittagong in this census, of which 1 is graded rare or better. Each mark carries its Hammond Giles catalogue figure number, colour, date range, evidence-based rarity grade, and links to every surviving cover recorded with it.
- What is Chittagong called today?
- Chittagong is the colonial-era name of present-day Chattogram, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Chittagong postmark or cover?
- Compare your cover against the reference impressions on this page — each figure shows the mark's design, ink colour and recorded date range. If your Chittagong cover bears a mark that matches a figure, open that figure's page to see every recorded example with provenance. If it matches none, it may be unrecorded: submit photographs through the form on this page and the editors will review it for inclusion in the census.
For background on the material itself, see the guides to the handstruck stamps of India, the pre covers of India and the pre stamp covers of India, which explain how marks like those recorded at Chittagong were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Chittagong, Chattogram, Chittagong HG 1, Chittagong handstruck stamps, Chittagong pre stamp covers, Chittagong postal history.
How to cite
“Chittagong, Bengal Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/chittagong (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Chittagong?
If you hold a cover or strike from Chittagong that does not match any figure above, submit it below. Approved additions appear here as new entries in the census — every submission is reviewed first.
Same presidency
Other post offices in the Bengal Presidency
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other Bengal Presidency post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.