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Hand Struck Stamps

Post office · North Western Provinces

Bhilsa

Handstamps
2
Recorded
1848–1852

Headquarters of the Bhilsa District in Gwalior State, Central India, situated 23°31' N and 77°49' E, 535 miles from Bombay. It came into Scindia's hands in 1775, and has since formed part of Gwalior State, though a British Post Office and Telegraph Office was established.

Bhilsa has 2 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1848–1852 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.

Also known as: VidishaView on Google MapsWikipedia ↗

Bhilsa handstamp summary

All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.

MarkTypeColourDatesRarity
HG 1HandstampBlack1848Common
HG 2HandstampPurple1852Common

Frequently asked — Bhilsa postal history

What are the pre stamp covers of Bhilsa?
Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Bhilsa are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Bhilsa post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Bhilsa was a post office of the North Western Provinces, British India, and this census records 2 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1848 and 1852.
How many handstamps are recorded for Bhilsa?
2 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Bhilsa 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 Bhilsa called today?
Bhilsa is the colonial-era name of present-day Vidisha, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
How do I identify a Bhilsa 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 Bhilsa 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.

Also searched as: Bhilsa, Vidisha, Bhilsa HG 1, Bhilsa handstruck stamps, Bhilsa pre stamp covers, Bhilsa postal history.

How to cite

Bhilsa, North Western Provinces — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/n-w-provinces/bhilsa (accessed 10 August 2026).

Updated: 10 Aug 2026

An unrecorded mark from Bhilsa?

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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.