Post-Independence stamps of India underwent major changes in terms of design, commemoration and inscriptions.The stamps no longer carried faces of any of former colonial kings or queens.It was replaced by faces of great leaders and freedom fighters who led the Indian Freedom Struggle against the British rule. National monuments, architectural and cultural heritages of India and the socio-economical activities began to be appearing on commemorative and definitive stamps.
The most paradigm makeover was in terms of currency system in India which changed to Naya Paise (presently 'paise') and Rupees (in decimal format like 100 Naya Paise = 1 Rupee) from Pies, Annas and old rupees, from 1st April,1957 till present. This evidently led to issue of stamps as per the new decimal currency system.
Coming back to the topic of this blog, I shall be writing about two of the old Indian stamps that are part of my collection. Both were issued within two decades of the Indian Independence on 15th August,1947.
One such stamp commemorated the famous and ancient Hindu Temple of ' Lord Lingaraj' in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of an eastern province of India called as 'Odisha'. The Lingaraj Temple was built around 11th Century AD, by Kalinga (ancient name of modern day 'Odisha') King Jajati Keshari of Somavanshi Dyansty. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the God of Destruction (as per Hindu Mythology) and his Divine consort Goddess Bhuvaneswari (the other name of Goddess Parvati).
As far as the stamp is concerned , it was issued way back on 15th August,1949, in bluish and brownish colors of value 4 annas. Capital city of Odisha, the Indian province where the temple is located, has been inscribed as 'BHUVANESVARA' on this stamp. Stanley Gibbons has put a price tag of 4.24 and 0.45 GBP respectively for mint and unused varieties of this stamp.
For more information on this ancient temple, visitors may visit the following link :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingaraja_Temple.
It may also interest the visitors to know that the temple is one of the major tourist attractions in Eastern part of India. Every year thousands of tourists, history and archaeological students and academicians from round the globe visit Lingaraj Temple to simply appreciate, study or carry out extensive research on ancient Odia architecture ( also called as Kalingan architecture named after the ancient name of Odisha - 'Kalinga').
The temple can be conveniently reached by means of local bus service, cabs or other local public transportation services available directly from the city airport or railway station.
There are frequent air and rail connectivity to Bhubaneswar too, from all major cities in India. For detailed information one may click on the Official Odisha Tourism Dept. Website.
The most paradigm makeover was in terms of currency system in India which changed to Naya Paise (presently 'paise') and Rupees (in decimal format like 100 Naya Paise = 1 Rupee) from Pies, Annas and old rupees, from 1st April,1957 till present. This evidently led to issue of stamps as per the new decimal currency system.
Coming back to the topic of this blog, I shall be writing about two of the old Indian stamps that are part of my collection. Both were issued within two decades of the Indian Independence on 15th August,1947.
One such stamp commemorated the famous and ancient Hindu Temple of ' Lord Lingaraj' in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of an eastern province of India called as 'Odisha'. The Lingaraj Temple was built around 11th Century AD, by Kalinga (ancient name of modern day 'Odisha') King Jajati Keshari of Somavanshi Dyansty. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the God of Destruction (as per Hindu Mythology) and his Divine consort Goddess Bhuvaneswari (the other name of Goddess Parvati).
As far as the stamp is concerned , it was issued way back on 15th August,1949, in bluish and brownish colors of value 4 annas. Capital city of Odisha, the Indian province where the temple is located, has been inscribed as 'BHUVANESVARA' on this stamp. Stanley Gibbons has put a price tag of 4.24 and 0.45 GBP respectively for mint and unused varieties of this stamp.
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| SG 316,4 Annas, 15th Aug,1949. |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingaraja_Temple.
It may also interest the visitors to know that the temple is one of the major tourist attractions in Eastern part of India. Every year thousands of tourists, history and archaeological students and academicians from round the globe visit Lingaraj Temple to simply appreciate, study or carry out extensive research on ancient Odia architecture ( also called as Kalingan architecture named after the ancient name of Odisha - 'Kalinga').
The temple can be conveniently reached by means of local bus service, cabs or other local public transportation services available directly from the city airport or railway station.
There are frequent air and rail connectivity to Bhubaneswar too, from all major cities in India. For detailed information one may click on the Official Odisha Tourism Dept. Website.
Dear visitors, I should confess now that I have tried to promote tourism in my province through one of my above collected stamps.But truly it is one of the most culturally rich places in India.For details on visit, stay and tourist package, you may contact at the above phone no.s or simply e-mail them :)
In my next blog I shall write about yet another post Independence stamp issued in 1966, dedicated to yet another architectural masterpiece of ancient India.
Till then, happy collecting :))
References
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingaraja_Temple
- http://orissatourism.gov.in/new/
- Stanley Gibbons Stamp catalogue on India, Pp.11
