Today in Postal History
This commercial cover was sent with the return address
of Gangapur City in Jaipur, an Indian feudatory state.
Gangapur
City is about 240 km southwest of Jaipur
which in turn is about the same distance southwest of Delhi.
Gangapur City is just southwest (and unidentified) of Bhilwara on this map.
Many feudatory states had local postal systems
carrying mail within their states.
Often their stamps were were overprinted to permit them to carry mail
within all of India.
Jaipur first issued stamps in 1904.
Separate stamps were discontinued in 1949.
This cover is franked (upside down on the back) with a single
1931 ½a. black and violet Maharaja Sawai
Man Singh II (SG 41).
The CDS used to cancel the stamp is quite interesting.
There are two strikes of the same cancel.
The one on the stamp is barely recognizable, however the the one off
the stamp is fairly clear.
The date is shown as 7 JLY 37.
It appears that there is a name preceding Jaipur, but it is illegible.
Can someone identify it?
There is a very interesting sun symbol at the top of the CDS.
Is it associated with the Sun God, Surya?
Can someone explain it to us?
We need a translator to tell us what the destination of this
cover was.
There appears to be a receiving mark on the back which also needs
translation.
Opening reduced the cover slightly at the right.
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