Post office · North Western Provinces
BenaresPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Benares postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 19 Benares handstamps recorded between 1808 and 1856, North Western Provinces, with 52 Benares covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 19
- Recorded
- 1808–1856
- Rare
- 4
Benares, with its cantonment, is situated 25°18' N, and 83°1' E, on the left bank of the Ganges River in the United Provinces. It was ruled by the Nawab of Oudh until 1776, when he ceded it to the British. Scene of serious disorders in the uprising in 1857.
Benares has 19 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1808–1856 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Manuscript markings
1 markBefore handstamps were introduced, postmasters wrote postal details by hand — these manuscript markings pre-date the struck marks above.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Benares handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
| Mark | Type | Colour | Dates | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HG 1 | Handstamp | Black | 1810–1820 | Rare |
| HG 2 | Handstamp | Black | 1811 | 2 examples recorded |
| HG 3 | Handstamp | Black | 1824–1836 | Common |
| HG 4 | Handstamp | Black | 1827–1835 | Scarce |
| HG 5 | Handstamp | Black | 1829 | 1 example recorded |
| HG 6 | Handstamp | Black | 1832–1835 | Scarce |
| HG 7 | Handstamp | Red | 1838–1853 | Common |
| HG 8 | Handstamp | Black | 1839–1852 | Common |
| HG 9 | Handstamp | Red | 1839–1845 | Common |
| HG 10 | Handstamp | Red | 1839 | Common |
| HG 11 | Handstamp | Black | 1850–1856 | Common |
| HG 12 | Handstamp | Red | 1845–1850 | Common |
| HG 13 | Handstamp | Black | 1847–1853 | Common |
| HG 14 | Handstamp | Red | 1844 | Common |
| HG 15 | Handstamp | Black | 1847–1852 | Common |
| HG 16 | Handstamp | Black | 1845–1851 | Common |
| HG 17 | Handstamp | Red | 1849–1854 | Common |
| HG 18 | Handstamp | Black | 1851–1854 | Common |
| MN 1 | Manuscript | — | 1808 | 1 example recorded |
Benares— postal history & markings
Benares opens its record with a manuscript endorsement, MN 1 of 1808, the earliest survival from this Ganges cantonment and known from a single cover. The struck marks follow closely: HG 1 of 1810 is rare, and HG 2 of 1811 is recorded from just two examples. From HG 3 in 1824 the office settled into steadier, common use, working mainly in black with red on a handful of later marks and carrying its record to 1856.
The rarities are concentrated at the start — the first two handstamps and the single manuscript are the marks a collector chases, while HG 5 is likewise known from one strike. For a city ceded to the British by the Nawab of Oudh in 1776 and caught up in the disorders of 1857, the surviving nineteen markings give a clean, if compact, run from the very first years of the century.
Frequently asked — Benares postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Benares?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Benares are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Benares post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Benares was a post office of the North Western Provinces, British India, and this census records 19 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1808 and 1856.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Benares?
- 19 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Benares in this census, of which 4 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 Benares called today?
- Benares is the colonial-era name of present-day Varanasi, India. The office also appears in postal history literature and auction catalogues as Banaras, Benares City, Kashi. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Benares 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 Benares 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 Benares were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Benares, Varanasi, Banaras, Kashi, Benares HG 1, Benares handstruck stamps, Benares pre stamp covers, Benares postal history.
How to cite
“Benares, North Western Provinces — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/n-w-provinces/benares (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Benares?
If you hold a cover or strike from Benares 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 North Western Provinces
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other North Western Provinces post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.