Post office · Madras Presidency
DindigulPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Dindigul postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 4 Dindigul handstamps recorded between 1799 and 1840, Madras Presidency, with 5 Dindigul covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 4
- Recorded
- 1799–1840
- Rare
- 2
Dindigul (Dindu-kal, 'the rock of Dindu' an asura or demon), in the Madura District, Madras Presidency, situated 10°22' N and 77°59' E, 322 miles from Madras, 880 feet above sea-level. It was held by Haidar Ali intermittently from 1755 to 1790, when it was captured by Colonel Stuart and ceded to the East India Company in 1792, and occupied by a British garrison until 1860.
Dindigul has 4 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1799–1840 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Dindigul handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Dindigul— postal history & markings
Dindigul's record is small — four marks — but it reaches back to the very start of the census period. HG 1, a black handstamp of 1799, is recorded from a single example and noted with 'PACK', for a packet of an ounce or more; its companion HG 1A, of 1799 to 1801, is likewise known from one strike and marked 'SIN' for a single-sheet letter. Both survive on two covers apiece, and together they show the office distinguishing letter weights at the point of posting.
After this early pair the record falls quiet until HG 2, a common red handstamp, appears in 1828, followed by the red HG 3 of 1840. For a Madura District town held under British garrison from 1792, the surviving marks are few, but the 1799 pair — with their weight abbreviations — are the more interesting for it.
Frequently asked — Dindigul postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Dindigul?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Dindigul are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Dindigul post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Dindigul was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 4 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1799 and 1840.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Dindigul?
- 4 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Dindigul in this census, of which 2 are 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.
- How do I identify a Dindigul 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 Dindigul 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 Dindigul were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Dindigul, Dindigul HG 1, Dindigul handstruck stamps, Dindigul pre stamp covers, Dindigul postal history.
How to cite
“Dindigul, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/dindigul (accessed 25 September 2026).
Updated: 25 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Dindigul?
If you hold a cover or strike from Dindigul 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.