The Feudatory State of Bijawar

Bijawar was a Princely state in the Central Indian Agency of Bundelkhand. One of the remnants of Chatrasal’s Bundela kingdom, Bijawar was a vassal state of the Marathas for most of its history and later passed under the British sphere in 1811.

The British amply rewarded Bhan Pratap Singh (1847-1899) of Bijawar for his assistance during the revolt of 1857. He was accorded an 11-gun salute and the title of Maharaja.  The state was almost 1000 square miles in area and was half forested. Despite being mineral-rich, the rough and often unchartered terrain kept the state underdeveloped. By 1897, the state was in so much debt that the British took over the administration to keep the finances afloat. The rest of its history remained as uneventful as its past.

Bijawar joined the Union of India in 1950 and became part of the present-day state of Madhya Pradesh.

Stamps of Bijawar

Maharaja Sawant Singh Bahadur (1899-1940) of Bijawar issued the state’s first set of stamps in 1935. The set consisted of 5 stamps of various denominations, printed using typography by Beerindra Kumar & Co., Saharanpur. The stamps carried a portrait of the Maharaja inside an oval frame, adorned with floral patterns. The inscription had “BIJAWAR STATE” on the top and “POSTAGE” at the bottom. The sides carried the denominations in Devanagari and Urdu.

Roluletted and Perforated stamps were printed of the same design between 1935 and 1937. There were more denominations added and larger stamps were printed later on. Postally cancelled stamps and covers of Bijawar are rare.