Post office · Madras Presidency
VizianagarumPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Vizianagarum postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 6 Vizianagarum handstamps recorded between 1822 and 1843, Madras Presidency, with 14 Vizianagarum covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 6
- Recorded
- 1822–1843
- Rare
- 3
Vizianagarum is in Vizagapatam District, Madras Presidency, 522 miles from Madras and 507 from Calcutta, 16 miles from the sea, and is situated 18°7' N and 83°25' E. There is a fort in which the Raja had his residence, and nearby there is a large cantonment.
Vizianagarum has 6 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1822–1843 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Vizianagarum handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Vizianagarum— postal history & markings
Vizianagarum's six handstamps, from 1822 to 1843, are notable for the scarcity of their early strikes: HG 1 is rare, HG 2 scarce and HG 3 very scarce, while HG 6 — carrying the spelling 'vizianagram' — is rare too. The office worked evenly in black and red. A fortified town inland from the coast in the Vizagapatam District, its post is small but weighted toward its scarcer marks, so a cover from its first two decades is a genuine find. For the collector of the northern Circars, the rare early strikes and the spelling variant give Vizianagarum more standing than its six marks might imply.
Frequently asked — Vizianagarum postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Vizianagarum?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Vizianagarum are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Vizianagarum post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Vizianagarum was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 6 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1822 and 1843.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Vizianagarum?
- 6 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Vizianagarum in this census, of which 3 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.
- What is Vizianagarum called today?
- Vizianagarum is the colonial-era name of present-day Vizianagaram, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Vizianagarum 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 Vizianagarum 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 Vizianagarum were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Vizianagarum, Vizianagaram, Vizianagarum HG 1, Vizianagarum handstruck stamps, Vizianagarum pre stamp covers, Vizianagarum postal history.
How to cite
“Vizianagarum, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/vizianagarum (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Vizianagarum?
If you hold a cover or strike from Vizianagarum 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.