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The General Post Office, Kolkata is the central post office of the city of
The site where the GPO is located was actually the site of the first Fort William. An alley beside the post office was the site of the guardhouse that housed the infamous 1756 
The staircase at the eastern side of the GPO features a brass plate, which marks the eastern end of the Old Fort William. This is probably the only remaining of the ancient fort of Calcutta. Recently a marble plaque has been installed on the Eastern walls of GPO, which highlight the Brass Plate.
To the north of the GPO is the Kolkata Collectorate, which was once the office of the regional ‘Collector’, a designation invented by the British Government after 1857 to replace the traditional Zamindars.
File:KolkataGPO1.JPG, Kolkata GPO with some ongoing restoration work
File:Calcutta GPO.JPG, Kolkata GPO Dusk View
File:Lal Dighi (Red Pool), Tank Square, Kolkata, India.jpg, Remote view from Lal Dighi
File:KOLKATA G.P.O.jpg, Kolkata GPO Night View
Postage stamp on GPO
Tourist attractions in Kolkata Buildings and structures in Kolkata K Government buildings in West Bengal Government buildings completed in 1868 {{Philately-stub
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, and the biggest post office of West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
. This post office was the first post office of India since 1727.https://www.indiapost.gov.in/Documents/PostalHistory/POSTAL_SYSTEM_DURING_BRITISH_ERA_1727-1854.pdf The post office handles most of the city's inbound and outbound mail and parcels. Situated in the B. B. D. Bagh
Binoy-Badal-Dinesh Bagh, shortened as B. B. D. Bagh, formerly called Tank Square and then Dalhousie Square (1847 to 1856), is the administrative, financial and commercial region and one of the central business districts of Kolkata (Calcutta), c ...
area, the imposing structure of the GPO is one of the landmarks in the city.
Kolkata GPO is one of the five Philatelic Bureaus in the country (others being Mumbai GPO, Chennai GPO, Parliament Street, and New Delhi GPO) that are authorised to sell the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
stamps.
History
The site where the GPO is located was actually the site of the first Fort William. An alley beside the post office was the site of the guardhouse that housed the infamous 1756 Black Hole of Calcutta
The Black Hole of Calcutta was a dungeon in Fort William, West Bengal, Fort William, Calcutta, measuring , in which troops of Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawabs of Bengal, Nawab of Bengal, held British Prisoner of war, prisoners of war on the night ...
(1756). The General Post Office was designed in 1864 by Walter B. Grenville (1819-1874), who acted as consulting architect to the government of India from 1863 to 1868.
The staircase at the eastern side of the GPO features a brass plate, which marks the eastern end of the Old Fort William. This is probably the only remaining of the ancient fort of Calcutta. Recently a marble plaque has been installed on the Eastern walls of GPO, which highlight the Brass Plate.
To the north of the GPO is the Kolkata Collectorate, which was once the office of the regional ‘Collector’, a designation invented by the British Government after 1857 to replace the traditional Zamindars.
Building
The GPO is notable for its imposing high domed roof (rising over 220 feet) and tall Ionic- Corinthian pillars. A postal museum that was built in 1884 displays a collection of artefacts andstamps
Stamp or Stamps or Stamping may refer to:
Official documents and related impressions
* Postage stamp, used to indicate prepayment of fees for public mail
* Ration stamp, indicating the right to rationed goods
* Revenue stamp, used on documents to ...
. The Philatelic
Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. While closely associated with stamp collecting and the study of postage, it is possibl ...
Bureau is located on the southwestern end of the building.
Location
It is located on Netaji Subhas Road inB. B. D. Bagh
Binoy-Badal-Dinesh Bagh, shortened as B. B. D. Bagh, formerly called Tank Square and then Dalhousie Square (1847 to 1856), is the administrative, financial and commercial region and one of the central business districts of Kolkata (Calcutta), c ...
area of Kolkata. The location is near the BBD Bagh Railway Station.
Gallery
See also
*Indian Postal Service
The Department of Posts, d/b/a India Post, is an Indian public sector postal system statutory body headquartered in New Delhi, India. It is an organisation under the Ministry of Communications. It is the most widely distributed postal system in ...
*General Post Office, Chennai
Chennai General Post Office (GPO) is located on Rajaji Salai, Chennai, Rajaji Salai at Parry's Corner, Chennai. It functions in a building built in 1884. It is located opposite to the Chennai Beach suburban railway station. Chennai GPO covers a ...
* General Post Office, Mumbai
* General Post Office, New Delhi
* General Post Office, Old Delhi
References
External links
Postage stamp on GPO
Tourist attractions in Kolkata Buildings and structures in Kolkata K Government buildings in West Bengal Government buildings completed in 1868 {{Philately-stub