Post office · Bengal Presidency
Darjeeling
- Handstamps
- 2
- Recorded
- 1846–1854
Darjeeling is situated 27°3' N and 88°16' E, in the Darjeeling District, Bengal, in the Lower Himalayas, 379 miles from Calcutta. It was acquired by the British in 1835 as a sanitarium, in which year a Post Office was established.
Darjeeling has 2 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1846–1854 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Darjeeling handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Frequently asked — Darjeeling postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Darjeeling?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Darjeeling are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Darjeeling post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Darjeeling was a post office of the Bengal Presidency, British India, and this census records 2 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1846 and 1854.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Darjeeling?
- 2 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Darjeeling 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.
- How do I identify a Darjeeling 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 Darjeeling 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: Darjeeling, Darjiling, Darjeeling HG 1, Darjeeling handstruck stamps, Darjeeling pre stamp covers, Darjeeling postal history.
How to cite
“Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/darjeeling (accessed 10 August 2026).
Updated: 10 Aug 2026
An unrecorded mark from Darjeeling?
If you hold a cover or strike from Darjeeling 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.