Post office · North Western Provinces
KotahPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Kotah postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 4 Kotah handstamps recorded between 1840 and 1854, North Western Provinces, with 5 Kotah covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 4
- Recorded
- 1840–1854
Kotah, capital of the State in Rajputana, situated on the right bank of the Chambal river, 25°11' N and 75°51' E, about 120 miles south-east of Ajmer.
Kotah has 4 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1840–1854 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Kotah handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Kotah— postal history & markings
Kotah's four handstamps, from 1840 to 1854, are among the most colourful small runs in the census: worked in red, black and — distinctively — purple and magenta, HG 2 struck in purple and HG 2A in magenta. Capital of a Rajputana state on the Chambal, the town's post served a princely seat south-east of Ajmer. The record is small, but that range of ink — two unusual colours in four marks — gives it real character. For the collector of the Rajputana states, Kotah is a compact but strikingly hued office to hold.
Frequently asked — Kotah postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Kotah?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Kotah are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Kotah post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Kotah was a post office of the North Western Provinces, British India, and this census records 4 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1840 and 1854.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Kotah?
- 4 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Kotah 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 Kotah called today?
- Kotah is the colonial-era name of present-day Kota, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Kotah 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 Kotah 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 Kotah were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Kotah, Kota, Kotah HG 1, Kotah handstruck stamps, Kotah pre stamp covers, Kotah postal history.
How to cite
“Kotah, North Western Provinces — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/n-w-provinces/kotah (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Kotah?
If you hold a cover or strike from Kotah 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.