Post office · Punjab
KangraPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Kangra postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 4 Kangra handstamps recorded between 1837 and 1857, Punjab, with 3 Kangra covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 4
- Recorded
- 1837–1857
- Rare
- 1
Kangra is in the Punjab, situated 30°5' N and 76°16' E. It was besieged by the Gurkhas durin g 1806-9, who were repelled, with the help of Jai Singh-, who afterwards appropriated the fort for himself. It was held by the Sikhs until the Jullunder Doab was ceded to the East India Company in 1846.
Kangra has 4 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1837–1857 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Kangra handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Kangra— postal history & markings
Kangra's four handstamps, all in black, run from 1837 to 1857 from a hill town in the Punjab besieged by the Gurkhas earlier in the century. HG 4 of 1852 is rare, and HG 3 carries die varieties — its 'Bearing' inscription found both at the top and inverted. The record is small and worked in a single ink, but the inverted-Bearing varieties and the rare HG 4 give the collector points of detail to sort by. For the specialist in the hill offices, Kangra is a compact all-black record with genuine variety in its later dies.
Frequently asked — Kangra postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Kangra?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Kangra are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Kangra post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Kangra was a post office of the Punjab, British India, and this census records 4 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1837 and 1857.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Kangra?
- 4 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Kangra in this census, of which 1 is 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.
- How do I identify a Kangra 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 Kangra 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 Kangra were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Kangra, Kangra HG 1, Kangra handstruck stamps, Kangra pre stamp covers, Kangra postal history.
How to cite
“Kangra, Punjab — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/punjab/kangra (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Kangra?
If you hold a cover or strike from Kangra 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 Punjab
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other Punjab post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.