The Feudatory State of Charkhari

Charkhari was a Princely State in the Bundelkhand Agency of Central India, a part of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh now. Maharaja Malkhan Singh Bahadur (ruled 1880-1908) issued the first postal stamps of Charkhari in 1894.

The Charkhari state was founded in 1765 by Raja Khuman Singh (ruled 1765-1782), a Rajput nobleman, who was granted an estate after the settlement of a family dispute. In 1731, Raja Chhatrasal of Bundelkhand divided his lands into several portions, one of which was given to Raja Jagat Singh. A succession crisis arose when Raja Pahar Singh seized the entire territory, forcing Raja Khuman Singh to flee. Frantic negotiations ensued, and finally, Raja Khuman Singh was allowed to reclaim a part of the territory, resulting in his accession to the throne.

Charkhari had an uneventful timeline until Raja Vijay Bahadur Singh (ruled 1782-1829) got into a conflict with the Marathas. This forced the ruler to sign a treaty with the British, first in 1804 and then in 1811, making Charkhari a protectorate of the East India Company.

Raja Ratan Singh of Charkhari sided with the British during the revolt of 1857 and was amply rewarded, including a hereditary salute of 11 guns and a jagir of Rs 20,000 per year, in recognition of his services towards the Company.

On 15th August 1947, Charkhari became a part of the Indian Dominion after its last ruler, Raja Jayendra Singh Ju Deo signed the papers of accession.

Stamps of Charkhari

Charkhari started issuing stamps in 1894. The initial design contained a sword, horizontally placed, and the inscription CHARKHARI STATE P.O. and B.C.INDIA (Bundelkhand, Central India) above the sword in a concentric pattern. The denomination was placed below these inscriptions. POSTAGE STAMP was inscribed below the sword. On the top corners were printed P.O., each character in one corner. 

The next design of Charkhari carried two crossed swords, with the text POSTAGE STAMP at the top in a semi-circle, CHARKHARI STATE C.I. (Central India) below the swords, INDIA, BUNDELKHAND, Charkhari Rajya in Devanagari and denomination in English. 

Charkhari also experimented with a longer stamp, including additional text in Urdu. However, these stamps were not very common. 

In 1931, the first pictorial stamps were issued, a set of nine stamps depicting the architectural landmarks of Charkhari. The designs had CHARKHARI STATE in English at the top and in Devanagari at the bottom. Denominations were printed at the corners and the Coat of Arms was also inscribed. The central motif was encased in various designs of frames. 

After the 1931 stamps, Charkhari did not come with new designs and continued to print cross swords stamps till 1943.