Post office · Bengal Presidency
Cutwa
- Handstamps
- 1
- Recorded
- 1854
Katwa (the Cutwa of early records) is a town in Purba Bardhaman district, West Bengal, at the confluence of the Ganges and Ajay rivers, a historic river port and a place of note in Vaishnava history. It was a grain and trade mart of central Bengal. As a post town of the Bengal Presidency its pre-1854 markings record the mail of the Bardhaman riverside.
Cutwa has 1 pre-1854 hand-struck postal marking from 1854 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Cutwa handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
| Mark | Type | Colour | Dates | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HG 1 | Handstamp | Red | 1854 | Scarce |
Frequently asked — Cutwa postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Cutwa?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Cutwa are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Cutwa post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Cutwa was a post office of the Bengal Presidency, British India, and this census records 1 distinct postal marking used there, dated around 1854.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Cutwa?
- 1 hand-struck postal marking is recorded for Cutwa in this census. 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 Cutwa called today?
- Cutwa is the colonial-era name of present-day Katwa, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Cutwa 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 Cutwa 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.
Also searched as: Cutwa, Katwa, Cutwa HG 1, Cutwa handstruck stamps, Cutwa pre stamp covers, Cutwa postal history.
How to cite
“Cutwa, Bengal Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/cutwa (accessed 10 August 2026).
Updated: 10 Aug 2026
An unrecorded mark from Cutwa?
If you hold a cover or strike from Cutwa 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.