Post office · Madras Presidency
BimlipatamPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Bimlipatam postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 2 Bimlipatam handstamps recorded between 1853 and 1860, Madras Presidency, with 1 Bimlipatam cover traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 2
- Recorded
- 1853–1860
Bheemunipatnam (Bhimili) is a coastal town and suburb of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh — one of the oldest municipalities in India.
Bimlipatam has 2 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1853–1860 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Bimlipatam handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Bimlipatam— postal history & markings
Bimlipatam's two handstamps, both in red, come from an old coastal town north of Vizagapatam on the Andhra shore. HG 1 of 1853 is common and HG 2 of 1856 scarce. The record is small and uniform in colour, but the scarce later mark gives the collector a target — a compact all-red office from one of the oldest municipal towns of the northern Circars.
Frequently asked — Bimlipatam postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Bimlipatam?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Bimlipatam are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Bimlipatam post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Bimlipatam was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 2 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1853 and 1860.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Bimlipatam?
- 2 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Bimlipatam 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 Bimlipatam called today?
- Bimlipatam is the colonial-era name of present-day Bheemunipatnam, India. The office also appears in postal history literature and auction catalogues as Bhimili. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Bimlipatam 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 Bimlipatam 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 Bimlipatam were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Bimlipatam, Bheemunipatnam, Bhimili, Bimlipatam HG 1, Bimlipatam handstruck stamps, Bimlipatam pre stamp covers, Bimlipatam postal history.
How to cite
“Bimlipatam, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/bimlipatam (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Bimlipatam?
If you hold a cover or strike from Bimlipatam 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.