BARODA STATE POSTAL HISTORY

Before the introduction of railways, fair roads connected most important towns in Baroda State. However, good roads were scarce due to the high costs of construction and maintenance. The main route was the Bombay-Ahmedabad Old Trunk Road, while another key artery was the Surat-Khandesh road via Songadh and Vyara. Roads primarily served trade, with large wagons called gadu as the usual conveyance. Motor services operated in some areas, and sea traffic linked ports like Dwarka, Okha, and Bilimora. Ferry boats crossed major rivers—Mindhola, Ambika, Tapti, Narmada, Mahi, Vishwamitri, Sabarmati, and those near Okha—along principal traffic lines.

Baroda's rulers, dewans, and residents had a keen enthusiasm for railways. The state was the first to permit Col. J.P. Kennedy of the Bombay, Baroda and Central India (BB&CI) Railway Company to build a line from Surat to Baroda in 1855. The first train reached the capital on 9 January 1861, linking it to Broach and Surat. By 1863, the BB&CI completed the Surat-Baroda-Ahmedabad line; in 1864, Bombay (Grant Road) connected via Navsari and Bulsar. By 1879, Baroda linked to Delhi through Palanpur, Ajmer, Jaipur, and Alwar.

Soon after, Maharaja Khanderao pioneered state-owned rail by connecting Dabhoi to the BB&CI main line at Miyagam—the first such effort by a native ruler in British India. In February 1862, he opened an 8-mile, 2-foot-6-inch narrow-gauge line powered by oxen, known as the "Bullock Tram." In 1873, stronger rails allowed locomotives, though they weren't used regularly until 1880. This became the core of the Gaekwar's Baroda State Railway (GBSR), which expanded across the state.

The first narrow-gauge railway in India was established in the Princely State of Baroda by Maharaja Khanderao Gaekwad, the Maharaja of Baroda. It was originally hauled by oxen, and news of this innovative line was reported in The Illustrated London News on 23 May 1863.

Imperial mail lines crossed Baroda State from early on. The Bombay-Surat route began in 1796 and extended to Deesa by around 1832. Lines like Broach-Deesa, Bhavnagar-Hursole, Baroda-Bhopawar, Cambay-Kaira, and Gogo-Bhuj passed through since 1857. With post offices established in Baroda territory, the Borsad-Petlad and Baroda-Dabhoi lines opened in 1863. Mails traveled by foot runners, horse dawk, camel dawk, and boats. By 1880, 32 mail lines operated statewide, rising to 43 by 1884.

Railways revolutionized transportation upon their introduction in Baroda State. The network featured early lines like Miyagam-Choranda (one of the oldest), Petlad-Vaso, Kosamba-Zankhvav, and Bilimora-Waghai, plus the Gaekwar's Mehsana Railway.

The Baroda Government provided the Gaekwar's Baroda State (GBS) Railway for mail conveyance. Starting in 1882, the Railway Mail Service operated between Miyagam and Dabhoi, later expanding to other lines as they opened.

State communication records in the Baroda Archives reveal that HH the Gaekwar of Baroda sought to establish air links through the state. In 1937, proposals were made to Tata Sons Limited for routes including Baroda-Ahmedabad, Baroda-Indore, and Baroda-Kathiawar. Indian National Airways Limited also pitched services from Bombay to Baroda-Udaipur-Jodhpur-Bikaner-Lahore. These plans did not materialize.

Letter Announcing the Start of Air Mail Service from Baroda to Amreli	Letter Announcing the Start of Airmail Service Between Baroda and Amreli

Later, from 14 November 1939, Air Services of India Limited launched flights between Baroda and Amreli via Bhavnagar, connecting Baroda to Bombay.

Airmail service debuted with the Baroda-Amreli route on May 3, 1940, although regular flights had begun on November 14, 1939. Private covers bearing first airmail cachets exist for Baroda-Amreli, Baroda-Bhavnagar, Bhavnagar-Amreli, and their returns—but these are not true first-flight covers, as service was already operational since November 14.

Baroda - Amreli Flight Cover (3rd May, 1940)	Baroda - Amreli Flight Cover (3rd May, 1940)
Baroda - Bhavnagar Flight Cover (3rd May, 1940)	Bhavnagar - Amreli Flight Cover (3rd May, 1940)
Amreli - Bhavnagar Flight Cover (4th May, 1940)	Amreli - Bhavnagar Flight Cover (4th May, 1940)
Amreli - Baroda Flight Cover (4th May, 1940)	Amreli - Baroda Flight Cover (4th May, 1940)

Note: On May 14, 1940, plane VTAEA crashed en route from Amreli to Baroda. It nose-dived from 100 feet while circling the aerodrome. Ground Engineer S. V. Rehman died instantly; pilot V. B. Bhate succumbed to injuries the next day. All postal articles were recovered intact and delivered to the Amreli Postmaster.

During the British Raj, the British India Steam Navigation Company (BISN) operated vital steamer services along India's West Coast, linking major ports like Bombay (now Mumbai) to Okha and the sacred pilgrimage site of Dwarka. Regular weekly or fortnightly coasting voyages connected Bombay to Karachi, stopping frequently at intermediate Gujarat ports such as Okha and Dwarka. These steamers carried mail, cargo, and thousands of passengers including pilgrims bound for Dwarka's revered temples.

In 1923, BISN Company steamers experimentally carried inland mails to and from Dwarka.