page_title: Postage stamps and postal history of India
section_title: Independent India
hierarchical_section_title: Postage stamps and postal history of India / Independent India
caption_attribution_description: English: This is a scan I made of a postally used postage stamp originally issued in 1949. It was created by the Government of India, India Post, which is the copyright holder. It is displayed for educational purposes only in Wikipedia's article on "Postage Stamps and Postal History of India".(User FConaway) Changed license to PD-India as the stamp is over 60 years old and is no longer in copyright.AshLin (talk) 18:02, 2 April 2009 (UTC)
context_page_description: This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of India.
  Indian postal systems for efficient military and governmental communications had developed long before the arrival of Europeans. When the Portuguese, Dutch, French, Danish and British displaced The Marathas who had already defeated the Mughals, their postal systems existed alongside those of many somewhat independent states. The British East India Company gradually displaced other powers and brought into existence a British administrative system over most of India, with a need to establish and maintain both official and commercial mail systems.
  Although the Indian Post Office was established in 1837, Asia's first adhesive stamp, the Scinde Dawk, was introduced in 1852 by Sir Bartle Frere, the British East India Company's administrator of the province of Sind. The Indian postal system developed into an extensive, dependable and robust network providing connectivity to almost all parts of India, Burma, the Straits Settlements and other areas controlled by the British East India Company.
context_section_description: The First Stamp of Independent India was issued on 21 November 1947. It depicts the Indian Flag with the patriots' slogan, Jai Hind (Long Live India), on the top right hand corner. It was valued at three and one-half annas.
  A memorial to Mahatma Gandhi was issued 15 August 1948 on the first anniversary of Independence. Exactly one year later a definitive series appeared, depicting India's broad cultural heritage, mostly Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Sikh and Jain temples, sculptures, monuments and fortresses. A subsequent issue commemorated the inauguration of the Republic of India on 26 January 1950.
  Definitives included a technology and development theme in 1955, a series all showing the map of India in 1957, denominated in naye paisa (decimal currency), and a series with a broad variety of images in 1965.
  The old inscription of "INDIA POSTAGE" was replaced in 1962 with "भारत INDIA", though three stamps issued between December 1962/January 1963 carried the earlier inscription.
  India has printed stamps and postal stationery for other countries, mostly neighbours. Countries which have had stamps printed in India include Burma (before independence), Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Portugal, and Ethiopia.
caption: Satrunjaya, Jain temple complex near Palitana, 15 August 1949. Indian stamps reflect the country's old and rich cultural heritage.
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