Madras Presidency · Pre-1854 Handstamp
Bhowany HG 1
- Colour & date
- Black1854
- Rarity
- 1 example recorded
- Figure
- 1
- Submitted by
- Gowtham BJ
Census
Census records
1 cover recorded1 pre-1854 cover bearing the Bhowany HG 1 handstamp is recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.
About this mark
The Bhowany HG 1 handstamp
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 HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of the post office at Bhowany — the present-day Bhavani — in the Madras Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1854. Known strikes are in black. Its "HG 1" designation is the figure number assigned in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India.
A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance. On the strength of that count the mark is graded "1 example recorded" — the grade moves automatically as new covers are recorded. Collectors searching for bhowany pre stamp covers, bhowany postal history or "Bhowany HG1" material can compare HG 1 across every office or browse the rest of the Bhowany marks.
Frequently asked
- What is the Bhowany HG 1 handstamp?
- Bhowany HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Bhowany (modern Bhavani) in the Madras Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1854. The "HG 1" designation is its figure number in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India. Known strikes are in black.
- How rare is Bhowany HG 1?
- Bhowany HG 1 has 1 example recorded in this census. Rarity here is evidence-based: it is derived from the number of surviving covers actually recorded, not estimated. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance.
- What does a Bhowany pre stamp cover with HG 1 look like?
- A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Bhowany is a folded letter or envelope carried before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, with postage shown entirely by hand-struck marks like HG 1. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance. Each census record on this page links to full cover images, dates and auction provenance.
- How do I identify or submit a Bhowany HG 1 cover?
- Compare your cover against the reference impression and recorded examples on this page — check the mark's shape, colour and date range (1854). If your cover is not already recorded, you can submit front and back photographs through the census form on this page; every submission is editor-reviewed before publication.
Suggest a correction
Spotted a wrong date, colour or rarity? Propose a change — every suggestion is reviewed before it is applied.
Also searched as: Bhowany HG 1, Bhowany HG1, Bhowany Giles 1, Bhavani postal history, Bhowany handstamp, Bhowany pre stamp cover.
How to cite
“Bhowany HG 1 — handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/bhowany/hg-1 (accessed 14 August 2026).
Updated: 14 Aug 2026