Post office · Madras Presidency
GanjamPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Ganjam postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 4 Ganjam handstamps recorded between 1776 and 1853, Madras Presidency, with 3 Ganjam covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 4
- Recorded
- 1776–1853
- Rare
- 2
Ganjam is situated 19°23' N and 85°5' E at the mouth of the Rushikulya River on the east coast of Madras Presidency, and was formerly a port of importance. It was built in 1768, with a fort as a defence against the Marathas at Cuttack. It is recorded in the Public Proceedings of July, 1766, concerning mail from Calcutta to Madras, as being the hand over point, and in the Consultations of January 1774, the Warren Hastings' Postal reforms, the "First Division of the General Post Office, Calcutta", was from Calcutta to Ganjam, 358.miles, the single postage being 5 annas, and from Ganjam to Madras 7 fanams. Although Ganjam is first mentioned in connection with the Calcutta G.P.O., it is in the Madras Presidency, and from 1788, under the Madras G.P.O. arrangements it came under that authority.
Ganjam has 4 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1776–1853 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Ganjam handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Ganjam— postal history & markings
Ganjam holds one of the earliest marks in the whole census: HG 1 is dated 1776 and known from only two or three examples, and HG 2 of 1816 from a single strike. The office worked mainly in black. Once a port of importance at the mouth of the Rushikulya on the east coast, the town leaves a small record whose age is extraordinary — its opening handstamp among the very oldest recorded from British India. For the collector, a Ganjam strike from the 1770s is a prize of the first order, a survival from the dawn of organised Indian posting.
Frequently asked — Ganjam postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Ganjam?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Ganjam are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Ganjam post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Ganjam was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 4 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1776 and 1853.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Ganjam?
- 4 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Ganjam 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 Ganjam 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 Ganjam 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 Ganjam were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Ganjam, Ganjam HG 1, Ganjam handstruck stamps, Ganjam pre stamp covers, Ganjam postal history.
How to cite
“Ganjam, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/ganjam (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Ganjam?
If you hold a cover or strike from Ganjam 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.