There was a time when sending a letter felt like sending a piece of your soul across miles. Before WhatsApp pings and “Can you hear me now?” moments, communication meant ink, paper, and patience. While it sounds quaint now, back in the day, letters were the only lifeline between people. Enter the postal system, a revolution during the British Raj that transformed communication forever.
India’s first post office was established in 1727 in Bombay (now Mumbai), kicking off a network that eventually became indispensable. Before this, messages relied on local couriers, runners, or even pigeons. Spoiler alert: none of those were budget-friendly. By the time the British East India Company set up a formal postal system, letter-writing became accessible to more than just royals or elites. But some post offices from those days still stand tall, whispering stories of an era gone by.
Here’s a list of India’s OG post offices that continue to be iconic:
1. Calcutta General Post Office
The granddaddy of them all! In 1774, the General Post Office (GPO) was established in Kolkata (then Calcutta) at Fort William. By 1864, Walter B. Grenville designed its iconic building, giving us a slice of history to admire today. Grenville wasn’t just an architect; he was the consulting architect to the Government of India.
2. Madras General Post Office
Moving south, Madras (now Chennai) got its first General Post Office in 1786 at Parry’s Corner. It wasn’t until 1884 that it moved into its current building, which oozes colonial charm. The British government initially ran postal operations through their offices, but this post office was a game-changer for the region.
3. Bombay General Post Office
Bombay followed in 1794 with its General Post Office, designed by the legendary John Begg. Modeled after the Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, its current structure was finalized in 1902 and completed in 1913 at a whopping cost of ₹18,09,000. Fun fact: this post office replaced the Central Telegraph Office at Flora Fountain.
4. Bangalore General Post Office
Established in 1800, the Bangalore GPO was the second post office in southern India. By 1816, it was already issuing notices about undeliverable mail due to “insufficient addresses.” Seems like even back then, people were too lazy to write the full address!
5. Pune General Post Office
Pune’s GPO came into existence in 1854 and quickly became a vital part of Maharashtra’s postal network. Built between 1873 and 1874 by Colonel Finch, RE, the red letterbox outside, crowned with Queen Elizabeth II’s insignia, adds a vintage vibe that’s hard to miss.
These post offices weren’t just places to send and receive mail, they were lifelines in an era when words traveled slower than our internet connection during peak hours. If walls could talk, these buildings would spill centuries of secrets, heartbreaks, and declarations of love.
So, the next time you’re tempted to leave someone on read, spare a thought for the patience of those who waited weeks, sometimes months, for a letter that might never arrive. Ah, the romance of it all!