The Feudatory State of Dhar

Dhar was a princely state in the Central Indian Agency of the Malwa region in India. The state was founded in 1730 when Udaji Rao Puar, a reputed Maratha commander, was granted territories in return for his services to the Maratha empire.

From 1730 to the early 1800s, Dhar was involved in a series of conflicts, most notably against the Afghans and the Maratha rulers of Indore and Gwalior. Raja Jaswantrao Puar, the third ruler of Dhar, fought in the Third Battle of Panipat (1761) and was killed in the last charge of Sadashiv Bhau. From this point on, the state went into gradual decline. Its territories were reduced due to raids from rivals. Minabai Puar offered dogged resistance to protect the state from Holkar and Scindhia. In 1819, the ruler Dhar signed an agreement with the East India Company and became its protectorate. Most of the lost territories were also restored.

Dhar became involved in the revolt of 1857. There were rumours that the then 13-year-old king of Dhar and his Regent Mother had instigated the rebels to attack British establishments. The British forces laid siege to the Dhar fort and destroyed much of it in the aftermath. The state was confiscated and restored only in 1864, with reduced powers and holdings. The state joined the Union of India in 1948.

Stamps of Dhar

The postal history of Dhar started in 1897 during the reign of Maharaja Anand Rao Puar. A total of 10 stamps were printed, in two designs. The first design was a rectangle with floral borders, divided into two parts. The top had the inscription “DAK DARBAR DHAR” in Devanagari. The bottom part contained the denomination. The stamps were printed in denominations of quarter, half and one anna, in colours pink, green and yellow, each colour indicative of the denomination it carried. The stamps were hand-stamped in oval before use. 

The second design was issued in 1898, and the printing was done in Bombay. It depicted the Coat of Arms of the state and was printed in pink or green. The inscription included the state name and denomination in English and the denomination additionally in Devanagari. 

The Dhar postage stamps became obsolete in 1901 when the state postal service was suspended.