NowanuggurFirst Postage Stamp

The Dagger of Kathiawar

A small rectangle of deep blue, carrying one of the most distinctive emblems of the Indian Feudatory States: the katar, the traditional dagger of Nawanagar. At the time, the region was commonly known as Nowanuggur, a princely state on the Kathiawar peninsula, centred on what is today Jamnagar in Gujarat. This first issue appeared in 1877, a humble 1 doc (docra) value issued without gum and found in shades ranging from indigo to slate depending on the inking. Examples exist both imperforate and line perforated 12½, with the irregularities and variations typical of many locally produced Native State issues. These stamps remained in use until 1895, when they became obsolete and quietly slipped into postal history. For me, that little katar is what makes the issue memorable: a simple symbol connecting a tiny piece of paper to a princely state that existed for centuries before its integration into independent India in 1948.