Post office · Madras Presidency
BhowanyPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Bhowany postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 1 Bhowany handstamp recorded in 1854, Madras Presidency, with 1 Bhowany cover traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 1
- Recorded
- 1854
- Rare
- 1
Bhavani (the Bhowany of early records) is a town in Erode district, Tamil Nadu, at the sacred confluence of the Bhavani and Kaveri rivers, site of the Sangameswarar temple. It was a market and pilgrimage town of the Kongu region. Under the Madras Presidency it served as a mofussil post office, and its pre-1854 markings trace the overland mail of the Coimbatore–Salem tract.
Bhowany 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
Bhowany handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
| Mark | Type | Colour | Dates | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HG 1 | Handstamp | Black | 1854 | 1 example recorded |
Bhowany— postal history & markings
Bhowany — Bhavani, at a sacred river confluence in the Erode country of the south — leaves a single black handstamp, HG 1 of 1854, known from a single example. The record is minimal — one mark, and a rare one — which makes even this small office a genuine target, from a town of real religious note in the Madras Presidency.
Frequently asked — Bhowany postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Bhowany?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Bhowany are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Bhowany post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Bhowany was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 1 distinct postal marking used there, dated around 1854.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Bhowany?
- 1 hand-struck postal marking is recorded for Bhowany 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 Bhowany called today?
- Bhowany is the colonial-era name of present-day Bhavani, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Bhowany 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 Bhowany 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 Bhowany were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Bhowany, Bhavani, Bhowany HG 1, Bhowany handstruck stamps, Bhowany pre stamp covers, Bhowany postal history.
How to cite
“Bhowany, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/bhowany (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Bhowany?
If you hold a cover or strike from Bhowany 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 Madras Presidency
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other Madras Presidency post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.