BARODA STATE POSTAL HISTORY

Baroda State was a former Indian State in Western India. Vadodara or Baroda, the capital city of Gaekwar State, is situated on the banks of Vishwamitri, a river whose name derived from the great saint Rishi Vishvamitra. The city was once called Chandanavati after its ruler Raja Chandan of Dor tribe of Rajputs, who wrested it from the Jains. Baroda was an important native state and had direct relations with the Indian Government but geographically was in intimate connection with Bombay Presidency.

Baroda's Postal History Overview
Unlike the well-organized postal systems of Hyderabad, Travancore, and Cochin, Baroda lacked a fully structured state post office. No regular postal service existed for the general public in Baroda territory. Government correspondence relied on sowars and halkaras from the Gaekwar Dawk. Residents privately handed letters to these couriers or hired special kassids (messengers) for urgent needs.

The Bombay GPO was established around 1790, with post office rules published at the same time. Max Smith, in India Post #121, quotes a notice dated 29 June 1802 announcing a twice weekly dawk from Bombay to "Brodera" (i.e., Baroda). This confirms a Post Office existed in Baroda since 1802.

Early Camp Post Office
Following the establishment of the Bombay General Post Office (GPO) in 1830, new postal rules were introduced for the Bombay Presidency, along with a published list of post offices across India. That year's Bombay Gazetteer lists a post office in Baroda, located in the Cantonment area outside the Gaekwad territory of the erstwhile Baroda State. The exact opening date at Baroda Cantonment remains unknown; it operated as the Camp Post Office with telegraph service.

Early “Postage Paid” Postmark of Baroda dated 26th March 1843.

Before the 1863 agreement between the H.H. Gaekwar Government and British Postal Authority, postal services in Baroda were limited and primarily served the Cantonment area. City residents had no dedicated post office and relied on a single letterbox for outgoing mail; they walked to Camp P.O. for stamps, registration, or other needs.

Early Challenges (1863 - 1874)
In 1863, the H.H. Gaekwar Government signed an agreement with the British Postal Authority to establish postal services across Baroda territory. After opening post offices in other towns, R. Wallace, the Resident of Baroda, proposed a Receiving House in the Mandvi area, the heart of the city in November 1863.

The Gaekwar Government rejected the citycenter location, citing potential disruptions from the gates closing at night. They suggested Raopura or Chabootra (an elevated bird feeder) outside the four city gates instead.

On April 27, 1864, the Inspecting Postmaster of Gujarat advocated for a Receiving House at Limra Chowk, just outside the city but close to Mandvi, in response to public demand. However, progress had stalled.

During his visit on 16 December 1867, the Officiating Postmaster General of Bombay, Mr. F.R. Hogg, noted heavy mail usage in Baroda City: 500 ordinary covers and seven registered letters posted daily in city letter boxes, compared to just 220 covers and one registered letter from the Camp. This stark contrast underscored the need for better urban access.

He also observed that city residents commonly posted bearing letters, as postage stamps were unavailable locally, the Post Office was located in the Baroda Cantonment, limiting easy access for many. Mr. Hogg urgently recommended opening a Receiving House in the city to provide full postal services, sparing inhabitants the trek to the Camp. Gaekwar Government resistance, however, persisted.

Renewed efforts in 1871 and 1874 also failed until November 1874. On 13 June 1871, the Inspecting Postmaster, Gujarat Division, sent a note (No. 350 of 1871) to the Resident of Baroda, requesting him to approach H.H. Malhaar Rao for permission to establish a post office near Mandvi. In March 1874, the Officiating Postmaster General, Bombay, approached the Secretary to the Government Political Department, Bombay, and asked him to communicate with H.H. the Gaekwar on the matter.

Finally, by Durbar Yadi No. 2022 dated 9 November 1874, H.H. the Gaekwar Government permitted a Receiving House outside Leheripura Gate. Its precise location remains unknown, though an old map in the Baroda Archives points to a post office in the Limra Chowk area. It was later renamed Baroda City P.O., and by the end of 1927, it became Leheripura S.O., following the Dewan of Baroda State's consent dated 16 November 1927.

B-17/1 - All-India Series Obliterator (1873-1884) for Baroda Receiving House

Head Post Office Development (1880 - 1934)
The Post Office Guides from 1880 and 1882 confirm the existence of Baroda H.O., Baroda City (Receiving House), Camp Post Office and Baroda BB (Telegraph Office). The exact location and opening year of the Baroda Head Post Office remain unknown. However, a letter dated October 3, 1907, from Mr. F. D. Kamdin, Superintendent of Post Offices, Kaira Division, to His Excellency the Diwan Bahadur of Baroda State notes that the Head Post Office and Telegraph Office had occupied a building owned by Mr. Appoo in Raopura for the past 30 years. This suggests the Head Post Office was likely established around 1877 in the Raopura area.

In March 1892, Mr. W. P. Symonds, Postmaster General of Bombay, requested the Agent to the Government of Baroda to initiate discussions with the H. H. Gaekwar Government regarding the construction of a new building for the Baroda Head Office. He noted that the existing structure lacked sufficient accommodation for office operations and emphasized the need for a suitable new facility. But the proposal faced delay.

In 1904, the Resident of Baroda suggested that the H.H. Gaekwar Government erect a new Head Post Office building, proposing three sites: one on the ground opposite the Band Building between Makarpura and Nagarpada Roads; a second opposite Rajmahal and the New Police Guard Station; and a third near Panjra Pole. The Gaekwar Government rejected these sites, and communications on the matter continued for a long period.

In 1907, heavy rain caused the collapse of the Post Office and Telegraph Office building. Operations were temporarily relocated to Mr. Borkar's Bungalow near Kothi, where they remained for 12 months until September 4, 1908. In the interim, the Postmaster General of Bombay approved the construction of a new Head Post Office near Nawab's Haveli on Chimnabai Tower Road in April 1908. Landlord Mr. Chhaganlal Parikh agreed to deliver the completed building by September 1908. A sturdy pucca structure with brick walls and a tin-and-tile roof was erected on Raopura Road, featuring dedicated spaces for the Telegraph Office, Sorting Room, Postmaster's room, Treasury room, clerks' room, runners' room, and godowns. The Head Post Office operated from this building for many years thereafter.

• Baroda H.O. (Combined Post and Telegraph)
• Baroda Camp S.O. (Government Telegraph)
• Baroda City S.O. (No Delivery)
• Baroda Railway Station S.O. (No Delivery)
• Fatehpura S.O. (No Delivery; opened on 1 July 1907)

In the same year, Mr. F. D. Kamdin, Superintendent of Post Offices for the Kaira Division, submitted a plan for a proposed Head Post Office building to the Gaekwar Government. He suggested three new sites: one near Kharchikar's Wada, a second facing Kharivav Road, and a third at Bhaskar Rao Vithal's Paga near Anandpura Police Chowky.

Plan for the Proposed Post Office Building submitted by Mr. F. D. Kamdin, Superintendent of Post Offices, Kaira Division in 1907.

The H. H. Gaekwar Government was not ready to undertake the construction itself but offered to make one of two sites available to the postal authorities: (1) near Kharchikar's home in Raopura, or (2) Bhaskar Rao Vithal's Paga. It was also suggested that the postal authorities construct the Head Post Office building in a style consistent with the state's existing architecture. Proposals for permanent sites in 1904 and 1908 faced delays.

In February 1922, the Resident at Baroda reopened discussions with the Gaekwar Government about building a new Head Post Office at the junction of Kothi Road and Jail Road. In March, H.E. the Dewan approved the project as a sound investment and directed the Postmaster General of Bombay to provide building specifications.

Construction received formal approval on 26 September 1922 and was completed in August 1934 at its present location, opposite the east side of Suryanarayan Temple. The Head Post Office relocated to the new building on 1 September 1934. Name of the then Postmaster at that time was S. B. Parikh. Upon moving, the window delivery system was discontinued, and a Post Box system was introduced at an annual fee of Rs. 15.

The H.H. Gaekwar Government leased the building to the Postal Department under an agreement dated 20 January 1937. Signed by the Chief Engineer of Baroda State (on behalf of H.H. the Maharaja Gaekwar) and the Postmaster General, Bombay (on behalf of the Secretary of State for India in Council), the 30-year tenancy lease began from 1 October 1934. It set the monthly rent at Rs. 244, along with other agreed terms.

Later Post Offices
Detailed historical records concerning the opening of the Baroda R.S. Post Office, as well as the subsequent renaming of Baroda Camp Post Office to Baroda Residency P.O., remain scarce to this day.

Special Cover issued during Vadopex-2005 on present Vadodara HO Building

• Baroda H.P.O.: Combined with the Telegraph Office.
• Baroda Railway Station (Baroda BB): Railway Telegraph Office only.
• Leheripura S.O.: No delivery; does not handle money orders.
• Baroda Residency: S.O. combined with Telegraph Office.
• Baroda R.S.: Sells postal stationery and accepts booked registered letters only.
• Fatehpura S.O.
• Ajwa Compound B.O.: Opened on 1 August 1928.
• Alkapuri B.O.: Opened in 1936.
• Sayajigunj S.O.: Opened in 1935; combined with a Telegraph Office.
  
  

  Present Vadodara Head Post Office Building

  
  

  Story on 80 Years of Vadodara Head Post Office, published in the Gujarati newspaper Divya Bhaskar on September 6, 2014.

  
  

  This article draws from my 2001 research at the Baroda Record Office in the Gujarat State Archives, Vadodara. It first appeared in Vadophil, the quarterly news bulletin of the Baroda Philatelic Society (Issue No. 87, July 2001). It was later published in India Post, the journal of the India Study Circle for Philately (U.K.) - in Vol. 35, No. 3 (149), August 2001. The piece also featured in Baroda Times (The Times of India) on 12 July 2001, titled “Tracking Vadodara's First Post Office.” It appeared online on the Stamps of India website in March 2002, followed by a reprint in the GUJPEX-2003 Souvenir (October 2003), and its latest version in Vadophil, the quarterly newsletter of the Baroda Philatelic Society (Issue No. 184, October 2025–January 2026).