Post office · North Western Provinces
Kurnaul (NWP)Postal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Kurnaul (NWP) postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 6 Kurnaul (NWP) handstamps recorded between 1826 and 1852, North Western Provinces, with 18 Kurnaul (NWP) covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 6
- Recorded
- 1826–1852
Headquarters of Kurnaul District, Punjab, situated 29°41' N and 70°59' E, on the old bank of the Jumna river, 1030 miles from Calcutta and 1056 from Bombay. The British took Kurnaul from Gurdit Singh of Ladwa in 1805, and formed a cantonment, which was abandoned in 1841, owing to the unhealthiness of the station.
Kurnaul (NWP) has 6 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1826–1852 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Kurnaul (NWP) handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Kurnaul (NWP)— postal history & markings
Kurnaul's six handstamps, from 1826 to 1852, are a straightforward run — worked evenly in black and red, and common throughout. The British had taken the town from Gurdit Singh of Ladwa in 1805, and its post served a district headquarters on the old bank of the Jumna. There is little rarity here to single out; the office's value lies in its completeness and in small dating refinements, such as HG 4, whose period of use has been extended by later research. For the collector assembling the north-west, Kurnaul is a clean, reliable district record rather than a source of scarcities.
Frequently asked — Kurnaul (NWP) postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Kurnaul (NWP)?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Kurnaul (NWP) are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Kurnaul (NWP) post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Kurnaul (NWP) was a post office of the North Western Provinces, British India, and this census records 6 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1826 and 1852.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Kurnaul (NWP)?
- 6 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Kurnaul (NWP) 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 Kurnaul (NWP) called today?
- Kurnaul (NWP) is the colonial-era name of present-day Karnal, India. The office also appears in postal history literature and auction catalogues as Kurnaul NWP. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Kurnaul (NWP) 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 Kurnaul (NWP) 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 Kurnaul (NWP) were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Kurnaul (NWP), Karnal, Kurnaul NWP, Kurnaul (NWP) HG 1, Kurnaul (NWP) handstruck stamps, Kurnaul (NWP) pre stamp covers, Kurnaul (NWP) postal history.
How to cite
“Kurnaul (NWP), North Western Provinces — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/n-w-provinces/kurnaul-nwp (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Kurnaul (NWP)?
If you hold a cover or strike from Kurnaul (NWP) 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.