Home > Travel > Cities of India > General Post Office
General Post Office
General Post Office is the central building of the Postal service in West Bengal.

Share this Article:

General Post Office, Kolkata, West BengalGeneral Post Office is postal services headquarter, located in the Capital of West Bengal- Kolkata.

Location of General Post Office
General Post Office was established by the British Empire in India after the non functioning of British East India Company in India, located in the busy area of Dalhousie area of Kolkata, West Bengal.

Geography of General Post Office
General Post Office is situated in the BBD Bagh area, the imposing structure of the GPO is one of the landmarks in the city. General Post Office was established on the remnants of the old Fort William of Kolkata. The brass line here is now also visible in General Post Office staircases.

Establishment of General Post Office
General Post Office was actually located at 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 (1756).

Architecture of General Post Office
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. It was built in Gothic style of Old British architecture after the erection of St Andrew"s Church and St. John"s Church in Kolkata, which are located adjacent to General Post Office. General Post Office is notable for its imposing white coloured high domed roof rising over 220 feet and tall Ionic-Corinthian pillars. At the top of General Post Office, there is an old clock, which towers the whole Dalhousie Square of Kolkata.

Functioning of General Post Office
General Post Office is the central post office of the city of Kolkata. General Post Office is the chief post office of West Bengal. Once, General Post Office was the chief postal building of India and the eastern circle.

Duties of General Post Office
General Post Office handles most of the inbound and outbound mail and parcels from Kolkata and West Bengal.

Postal Museum in General Post Office
A Postal Museum was established by the Government of India that was built in 1884 displaying a collection of artefacts and stamps of India, Central Asia and South Asian countries. The Philatelic Bureau is located on the south western end of the building of General Post Office.

Related Articles
Capital Cities of India
Kolkata
History of Kolkata
Shyampukur, Kolkata, West Bengal
History of Kolkata
Sabarna Roy Choudhury
Kolkata, Indian City, West Bengal
Culture of Kolkata
Birla Planetarium, Kolkata
Economy of Kolkata
West Bengal, Indian State
British Monuments in Kolkata
Monuments in Kolkata, West Bengal Monuments
British Monuments in India
Monuments of West Bengal
Architectural Developments of Calcutta during British Rule
Early British Architectural Design in India
British Military Architecture in India
Art and Architecture during British Rule in India
History of Indian Telecommunications
Impact of British Rule in India
Fort William, Kolkata
Forts of West Bengal
Siraj-Ud-Daulah, Nawab of Bengal
Battle of Plassey


Share this Article:

Subscribe to Newsletter
Learn unknown facts about India from a curated list of informative articles.

Related Articles

More Articles in Cities of India

Ancient North Indian Cities
Ancient North Indian Cities were developed in the early era that is from the time of Mahabharata, and after the decline of Hindu kings in Northern parts. Some have become desolated and some became the archaeological ruins.
Ancient South Indian Cities
Ancient South Indian Cities witness the rise and fall of many empires from the early era.
Ancient Cities of North West India
Ancient Cities of North West India show the Rajput culture from the early phase, but in medieval era it showed the prominence after having a good relation with Mughals.
Ancient West Indian Cities
Ancient West Indian Cities are now completely in ruins, because of the heavy earthquake in some of the regions.
Holy Cities of North West India
Holy Cities of North West India are grown up in the midst of dry and thorny desert lands with Rajputana art and architecture.
Holy Cities of North India
Holy Cities of North India are having the rich history of Hinduism and the entire civilization was grown up with the hands of beliefs, rituals and the evolution of religion.
Holy Cities of South India
Holy Cities of South India gives the detailed cultural formation of Dravidians from the early era, which later developed to the world by the Pallavas and the Cholas.
Holy Cities of Central India
Holy Cities of Central India have the excellence of art and architecture in temples in the early era.
Holy Cities of East India
Holy Cities of East India refer the places of religious importance. Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism are widely spread.
Holy Cities of West India
Holy Cities in West India were established by the rulers of Rajputs and the Satvahana Dynasty and the medieval rulers of Junagadh.
Cities of West Uttar Pradesh
Cities of West Uttar Pradesh include Meerut, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Bareilly, Rampur, Agra, Aligarh, Mathura and many others. It comprises the western parts of Uttar Pradesh.
Architecture of Ladakh
Architecture of Ladakh is very typically Buddhist due to the strong influence of the religion here. The architecture is in keeping with the geography and climate of the region.
Architecture Of Madurai
Architecture of Madurai reflects the Hindu architectural pattern as is seen in the lakes, temples and palaces.
Port Cities of South India
Port Cities of South India are developed from the early phase of colonial era when the Portuguese and the French traders came to India
Vaishali Ancient City
Vaishali was an ancient prosperous metropolis, which was probably the first republic of the world.
Kudra City
Kudra, the city in Kaimaur District where agriculture is the prime occupation and in this city there is present Asia’s largest seed cold storage.
Thuraiyur in Tamilnadu
Thuraiyur is a municipality town where the inhabitants are mostly dependent on agriculture and handloom industries.
Dharapuram - Tiruppur
Dharapuram is a town located in Tiruppur district in Tamil Nadu. It is said that the Pandavas resided here in the town.
River Ghats in Haridwar
There are several river ghats in Haridwar, which are considered as popular spots among tourists.
Mataundh - Banda District
Mataundh is a prominent `panchayat town` situated in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh.