The first postage stamps of British India were issued on this day after a decision had been taken to use adhesive stamps. Lithography, which the Survey Office in Calcutta already used in map production, was chosen as the technique for stamp production.
Earlier, the East India Company, which had a monopoly on the carriage of mail to and from British India, was using hand-struck stamps.
A 1/2-anna blue stamp and a 1-anna red stamp were available for sale on October 1, 1854. They had a portrait of Queen Victoria in a rectangular frame, with India written on top and the value at the bottom. In a few days, a green stamp for 2 annas and a stamp for 4 annas were released. The latter was one of the world’s first bi-coloured stamps.
All stamps were designed and printed in Calcutta.