2. The earliest known letter from Ceylon
~ April 1757, Ceylon to Batavia( In Indonesia)
Page 33, Souvenir.
“Lanka Philex 2011”
There is evidence of a mail service established in 1789 by Dutch between Holland
and Java with connection of Ceylon from Cape of Good Hope. However there is
no example of a private letter carried by this service.
3. • 1796 : Postal service was started at Costal area by
Dutch, with “United East India Company” ( Vereenigde Oost
Indische Compaghie- VOC)
• 1798 : The 1st Post office in Ceylon was started at
Colombo port. Latter post offices were started at Galle,
Matara, Jaffna, Mannar, Trincomalee
• 1799: Postage rates and regulations were
introduced to the country. (15/01/1799)
First Postal service in the Country
4. • 1809: The earliest known letter from Ceylon with post
marks.
This letter bore a hand-struck stamp ( Colombo Post Free) and was
written by a soldier serving in Royal Artillery to an address in London
This is the only evidence of British postal service before Ceylon became a
Crown Colony in 1815.
5. • 1815 : Established of a Postal Department of
Ceylon.
1st Post master Genera : E. Bletterman
6. 1832 : 1st Postal Transport Service
Horse drawn carriage, Colombo to Kandy.(01/02/1832)
1st Postal transport service of Asia
This was extended between Galle and Colombo in 1838.
Pic from “Sri Lanka post”
website
7. 1856 : Telegram Service was started in Sri Lanka
First established to exchange massages between Galle and Colombo
8. 1857 :The First stamp of Ceylon – 6 pens
The stamp features a portrait of Queen Victoria in brown in colour. It is
a 6 pence value used to send a half ounce letter from Ceylon to
England.
The Government Act for the usage of postal stamps in Ceylon was first
issued on 1st May, 1854 during the Governorship of Sir Henry Ward. A
total of 60,000 stamps were ordered as the first lot from M/s Perkins
Bacon on July 26 in 1855. The consignment landed in Sri Lanka on
10th December 1855, but the issue was delayed until 1st April, 1857.
9. 1857 : Ceylon issued her first set of postal
stationery ( Envelopes)
July 1857, One Penny and Two Pence Envelopes were
issued
10. 1861 : stamp with perforations
All denominations with imperforations from 1d to 2sh were reprinted
with star water mark.
Perforated by pPerkins Bacon using a perforating machine with a
single line of punch.
All these stamps were issued in due course except the 1sh 9d. which
was believed to have been prepared but not sent to Ceylon.
Therefore Only unused copies of 1sh 9d were available.
11. 1867 : Parcels post Service was started
1869 : The word "SERVICE" was over-printed on the 2d,
6d, 8d, 1sh and 2sh (of 1863) and 1d, 3d of 1868 for
official use. Although these overprinted stamps were sent to
Ceylon, they were never issued.
12. • 1872 : Introduction of cents/ rupee stamps- (1st Jan
1872)
A penny was calculated as 4 cents. 2 shillings were equal to one rupee
P14: 2c,4c,8c, 16c, 24c, 36c, 48c, 96 c
P14X 12.5: 2c, 4c, 8c P 12.5: 2c, 4c
• Simultaneously 4 cents envelope was issued to replace penny
envelopes.
13. • 1872 : 1st post card was issued.
22nd Aug 1872
14. • 1877 : Money Order system was started
• 1877 : member of Universal Postal Union (U.P.U) under
the British Regime- 1877.04.01
15. 1879: Issue of Wrappers to Post printed material
The first was a 2cts wrapper with a design of head of Queen Victoria. It
was with the inscription,
“The wrapper may only be used for Newspapers and should not enclose
any letter or any nature of a letter ( whether separate or otherwise). If this
rule be infringed, letter rates will be charged”
17. 1881: Issue of Telegraph Stamps
• Separate Telegraph stamps were used for payments of telegraph
charges.
• 1869-1880 Telegraph stamps of India were used in Ceylon
• Ceylon Issued her own Telegraph stamps in 1881( 14th Feb 1881)
and those were used till 1910 untill postage stamps replaced with
the same.
• 12 cts, 25 cts, 50cts, 1R, 2R 50cts, 5R, 10R, 25R, 50R
18. • 1882 : The first surcharged stamps were issued.
Issued in 1882 when the 24c & 64c values were surcharged 16c & 20c
respectively
19. • 1892 : First Traveling Post Office between Colombo
and Peradeniya was established.
• 1893: First Reply card
was issued.
Reply Card, which helps the
recipient of letter to reply
easily without visiting to the
post office to obtain postal
items.
20. • 1893 : First Letter Card was issued.
In a letter card one could write a longer letter and writing could be
hidden by pasting the edges.
22. Issuing of war stamps .
( "war stamp " or " war stamps one cent")
1918:
A war tax stamp is a type of postage stamp added to an envelope in
addition to regular postage.
revenue is used to defray the costs of the war
The "War Tax" stamps were issued by various entities within the British
Empire during World War I .
27 Colonies were issued “War” stamps during World war I.
23. 1927: Introduced Meter Stamps to Ceylon
Meter Stamps: Their use here in Sri Lanka is thought to have
started in 1927.
Harsha F. Rupesinghe
Sri Lanka Stamp Journal, Page 2, June 2014
24. 1935 : 1st pictorial Stamps of Ceylon:
3 stamps on 1st May 1935.
Tapping Rubber (2c), River scene (15c), Temple of the tooth (25C).
Followed by: Hill Paddy(10c): 1st June,
Trincomalee(1r): 1st July,
Ancient Irrigation tank (30c): 1st August,
Adam's Peak (3c): 1st October,
Colombo Harbour (6c), Plucking Tea (9c), Coconut Palms, Wild Elephants :1st Jan 1936
25. 1935: First Commemorative stamps / First Omnibus
stamp series.
• 5th Gorge King's Silver Jubilee (1910-1935): 4 stamps.: 6th May 1935
• This was the first set of British Colonial omnibus series.
• 250 stamps, 60 Colonies
Omnibus issue- several countries issue stamp on same theme- all British
colonies issued stamp formats with their country names and price
WINDSOR CASTLE AND PORTRAT OF KING GEORGE
26.
27. 194? : Airgraphs
During the war in order to save the bulk space occupied by envelopes and labor
involved in opening and resealing envelopes by censors, Airgraph, a letter sheet
was introduced.
The airgraph forms, upon which the letter was written, were photographed and
then sent as negatives on rolls of microfilm. At their destination the negatives were
printed on photographic paper and delivered as airgraph letters through the normal
post.
“Wikipedia” says it
was extended to
Ceylon in 1944.
?
28. 1944: Introduction of Aerogramme to Ceylon
~ Lesser weight than postcard or envelopes
~It had 4 imprinted stamps with the head of KGVI ( Blue in color)
29. • Issued two stamps to celebrate 2nd world war victory
• 10th Dec 1946
1946 : Fist day covers issued by Private Institutions
30. 1947 :1st involvement of Sri Lankan designers
: End of the colonial era Stamp issues of Ceylon.
:1st souvenir folder with descriptions of each stamp
New Constitution: 4 stamps: ( two Sri Lankan were involved in designing these
stamps) 25th Nov 1947
33. 1949
1st Stamp issued after independence
1st time Sinhala/Tamil Inscription was included in stamps
1st Sri Lankan to be appeared on a Stamp : D S Senanayake
4th Feb 1949: two stamps issued to celebrate 1st independence:
These stamps saw the exit of the British monarch from local stamps after 92 years
34. 1949: Inauguration of Internal Air Mail Service
Between Colombo an Jaffna , 02/07/1949
1949: Obtaining the membership on universal Postal
Union
( 2nd time - as independent government)
13/07/1949
35. 1949: 1st issue to celebrate world union:
75th anniversary of universal postal union-- 3 stamps
After regaining Independence in 1948, only 3
stamps ( 3 set) were issued without Sinhala and
Tamil inscriptions
10th Oct 1949
36. 1950 : 1st definitive issue after independence
6 stamps , 4th Feb 1950
37. 1956 : Issue of 1st Charity stamp:
Two stamps were issued to collect found to Sambudha Jayanthiya:
10th May 1956
Never issued charity stamps after these stamps
38. 1957: Prominence is given to Sinhala Inscription
"Centenary of the First Ceylon Postage Stamp"- Four Stamps
1st April 1957
This was with aligned government policy of making Sinhala the official language.
The Sinhala Only Act was passed in the Parliament on 15th June 1956.
39. 1958: 1st , FDC issued by the Post and
Telecommunications Department
12th Oct 1958: 10th Anniversary of declaration of human rights : 10 cts & 85 cts
40. 1961: Date stamp for cancellation was available in Sinhala.
Hitherto the date stamp was available in English only
8th Jan 1961: Prime Minister S.W.R.D Bandaranaike (1899-1959)
To commemorate 60th birthday
41. 1962: Commemorate Anniversaries of a local event
Local events came to be commemorated with the release of a 35c
stamp to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Boy Scout movements in
Ceylon
26th Feb 1962
42. 1st Se-tenant stamp issue in Sri Lanka
Se-tenant pairs inscribed " Industrial Exhibition" alternately
in Sinhala and Tamil, and Sinhala and English, producing
horizontal pairs.
1st Dec 1964
1964:
43. 1st Sri Lankan On Post Card: Commemorate
Anagarika Dharmapala
1965:
44. 1966 : 1st souvenir sheet
The first souvenir sheet of Sri Lanka was issued on 5 February 1966
under the topic of 'Typical Birds of Ceylon' and was imperforate
5th Feb 1966
45. 1967: The First national Exhibition of Ceylon Stamps
( 16th Sep 1967 to 19th Sep at national Museum)
Sponsored by the Ceylon Philatelic Bureau of the Post and
Telecommunications Department
46. 1967: The practice of issuing Stamp Bulletins was started
by the Post & Telecommunications Department Under the
Ceylon Stamp News
47. 1972: Last issue of " Ceylon" :
2nd May 1972
26th May 1972
Tenth Conference of the world
Fellowship of Buddhists- 26th May
25th Anniv of Economic Commission for
Asia and the Far East
The stamp was scheduled for
release in May 1971, and when
finally released had the year “1972”
additionally overprinted in red
48. 1972: 1st stamp issued with " Sri Lanka“ as the country
name.
Ceylon became the Republic of Sri Lanka on 22nd May 1972
Janarajaya: The first stamps marked “Sri Lanka” was issued on 22
May 1972
49. 1981: A practice of issuing souvenir sheets for Wesak stamps
was started from year 1981
Except below years, in all the other years Miniature sheets were issued.
1986
2006: only sheetlets was issued
2009
50. 1981: First souvenir sheet was issued to celebrate the
visit of a foreign distinguished.
On 21 October 1981 a souvenir sheet was issued in celebration
of Queen Elizabeth’s visit. .
52. 1982: 1st souvenir sheet was issued with different
denominations in a stamp and a souvenir sheet
2nd December 1982: a souvenir sheet was issued to commemorate the
125th anniversary of the 1st postage Stamp of Sri Lanka.
This was the 1st souvenir sheet of 2 stamps with a different
denominations; 50 cents and 2.50 rupees with a sheet value of Rs. 5
53. 1987: 1st Diamond shaped stamp
National Olympic Committee Jubilee: 8th Oct 1987
54. 1992: Country name mentioned as " Shri Lanka"
47 stamps were issued (14th June 1992 to 17th Dec 1993) with this country
name (26 issues)
55. 1996: Space offered for the Private sector for advertising
on Stamp Envelops
17th July 1996: SAARC Philatelic Exhibition, National Art Gallery
4 envelops were issued with advertisements at back flap
56. 1997: Introduced 5 digit Post-Code for Post Office
Used by Sri Lankan Post to sort mails more efficiently.
Numerical identification for each Post Offices
All Post Offices in the Island are assigned with this five digit Post-Code.
1st Digit indicates the province and other four digits indicate the office of
destination
57. 2002: 1st stamp printed in Sri Lanka
15th March 2002: Bicentenary of Ceylon Government Gazette
printed in Government Press
58. 2002: Stamp with Advertisement
Stamp envelop was issued with National Savings Bank logo
59. 2005: Issue a stamp purely for the use of Members of
Parliament
8th June 2005 ( Service Stamp)
Stamp was available only in the post office in the parliament
60. 2005: Issue of Tete-Beche pairs of Stamps
tête-bêche (French for "head-to-tail“) is a joined pair of stamps in which one is
upside-down in relation to the other
11th Oct 2005: 25th Anniversary. The General Sir John Kotelawala
Defense Academy
61. 2006: Highest no of stamps issued in one issue
50 stamps: 5th may 2006- 2550th Anniversary of Buddha Jayanthi
( Vesak 2006 )
62. 2007: Issue souvenir sheet in both perforate and
imperforate types
150th anniversary of the 1st postage stamp of Sri Lanka-1 April 2007
A souvenir sheet was issued in both perforate and imperforate types
63. 2007: The first irregular shape souvenir sheet
All the souvenir sheets issued so far were rectangular in shape.
The first irregular shape souvenir sheet was issued on 22nd
May 2007 on 'Seashells of Sri Lanka‘ to represent the World
Biodiversity Day. The sheet was in the shape of a seashell
64. 2007:
Oldest stamps surcharged in the history- After 49 years
SG 459
1st Issue : 15th July 1958 ( 50 cts)
Surcharged issue : 29th Jan 2007 ( SG
1851) to Rs 4.50.
SG 457
1st Issue : 15th July 1958 ( 35 cts)
Surcharged issue : 13th Feb 2007 (
SG 1857) to 50 cts
65. 2007 : Round shape stamp
3rd Dec 2007: Muthiah Muralidaran; the highest wicket taker in test
cricket.
A stamp was issued to Commemorate 709th test wicket of Murali, beating
Shane Warne’s with a record of 708 test wicket.
Perforated in a circle enclosed in an outer perforated square
Highest number of International Wickets : 1347
Test 1992/ 2010 133 matches 800 wickets
ODI 1993/ 2011 350 matches 534 wickets
T20s 2006/ 2010 12 matches 13 wickets
66. When was ‘Telemail” started in Sri Lanka?
With the telegram service being stopped from September 1, the Postal
Services Ministry introduced a new messaging service from yesterday
called ‘ Telemail
Daily News, 2nd Oct 2013
The Postal Department introduced a telemail service from last week,
following the termination of the telegram service by Sri Lanka Telecom,
Postal Services Minister Jeevan Kumarathunga said.
Sunday Observer , 6th Oct 2013
1798 : The 1st Post office in Ceylon was started at Colombo port by the Governor Fedric North. Latter post offices were started at Galle, Matara, Jaffna, Mannar, Trincomalee
Note: some books says, 1st post office was established in 1796
A Century of Stamps of Sri Lanka, By D C Ranatunga, Say First few post office opened in 1815
Po
The first post offices were set up in Colombo, Galle, Matara, Mannar, Trincomalee and Jaffna. Postal runners were used to carry the mail. It was a familiar sight to see a postal runner holding on to the mail bag in one hand and carrying a spear, with a bell attached, in the other for protection.
stage rates and regulation : "Sri lanka Stamp Journal- October 2006"
The only evidence of a British postal service before 1815 is a "Colombo Post Free" handstamp used on a soldier's letter in 1809, when British Royal Artillery troops were engaged to subdue Vikrama Rajasinha, the king of Kandy (1798–1815), whose inland territory had never been under the influence of the Dutch
even prior to the establishment of the Postal Department in 1815 (the year the British stabilised their control over the entire country), there was what was known as ‘Free Post’ in operation in Colombo by 1809. This was for the benefit of British troops engaged in the subduing the King of Kandy, says an article published in the Crown Agents Stamp Bulletin
A Century of Stamps of Sri Lanka, By D C Ranatunga: page 1: The year 1815 saw the establishment of the postal department and opening of the first few post offices in Ceylon.
Wikipedia : The British took control of the country in 1815. The first Postmaster General of Ceylon was A. Kennedy, an Army Officer. However, there were other Post Master Generals since 1815, when E. Bletterman was the PMG for the whole island. Mr. Lewis Sansoni succeeded Bletterman as the second Postmaster General in 1817. The third Postmaster General was Major G. Stewart, who extended the postal services to major towns in the country.
Sri Lanka post web site :In 1815, the British took control of the country. They re-organized the postal service and a permanent Post Office was established in Colombo in 1882. The first Post Master General of Ceylon was Mr. A. Kennedy an Air Army Officer. However as far back as 1815 there has been Post Master Generals'; Mr. E. Bletterman was the PMG for the whole island. Thereafter in 1817 Mr. Lewis Sansoni succeeded Mr. Bletterman as the second Postmaster General. The third Postmaster General was Major. G. Stewart and during his period he was instrumental in extending the postal services to major towns in the country.
Content & Pic from: Sri Lanka Post Heritage
Can get picture : A Century of Stamps of Sri Lanka, By D C Ranatunga
but in "Sri lanka Stamp Journal- October 2006": it is said this is started 1831.02.01???? And Galle mail Coach was started on 1838.07.02
Outward journey was to be accomplished in 14 hrs and homeward run to colombo in 12.
The fare was £ 2.10 for a seat and the coach carried all the mail from post offices along the route.
The coach started from the rest house( also known as Royal Hotel) at Prince street in the fort at 4.00 am.
Then came the mail coach era when horse-drawn carriages were used to transport mail. The service was inaugurated in1831 between Colombo and Kandy. The coach started from the Rest House (also known as Royal Hotel) at Prince Street in Fort. Passengers could travel and the outward trip from Colombo to Kandy took around 14 hours while the return trip was complete in 12. The coach carried all the mail from post offices on the way.
Telegram Service : Sri lanka Stamp Journal, June 2014, page 33
Discontinued on 30th Sep 2013
1840 to 1900: all stamps issued with Queen Victoria's face. That Picture was taken when she was on 18 years. Bone on 24th May 1819. Died on 21st Jan 1901
The issue of stamps in the present format was preceded by hand-struck postage stamps denoting the prep payment charges on letters. Franks were used to indicate the fee paid. They were available in 29 post offices throughout the country. The first adhesive stamp was issued on 1 April 1857 – 17 years after the first stamp was issued in Great Britain. It was in the value of 6d to pre-pay the first letter rate to England by ship for half-ounce letters. There were no perforations which meant that the stamps had to be cut from a sheet and sold. The perforated stamps were issued four years later in 1861.
Sri Lanka Stamp Journal, October 2007- Postal Stationery Envelops, by Dr. Chandra Rodrigo
Pepper article says, this was introduced on 1895 to Ceylon
The first cent denominations were direct conversions of pence into cents. A penny was calculated as 4 cents. Two shillings were equal to one rupee (A Century of Stamps of Sri Lanka, By D C Ranatunga)
"Sri lanka Stamp Journal- October 2006" says issued 1st Ceylon Stamp in Local Currency on 1893.02.01: But when check caterlog this is wrong
The British pound became Ceylon's official money of account in 1825, replacing the Ceylonese rixdollar at a rate of 1 pound = 13⅓ rixdollars, and British silver coin was made legal tender. Treasury notes denominated in pounds were issued in 1827, replacing the earlier rixdollar notes. Rixdollar notes not presented for exchange were demonetized in June 1831.
The Indian rupee was made Ceylon's standard coin 26 September 1836, and Ceylon reverted to the Indian currency area. Pound-denominated treasury notes continued to circulate after 1836, along with the rupee. The legal currency remained British silver and accounts were kept in pounds, shillings and pence. However, payments were made in rupees and annas at the "fictitious par" (fixed accounting rate) of 2 shillings per rupee (i.e., 1 pound = 10 rupees).
The Bank of Ceylon was the first private bank to issue banknotes on the island (1844) and Treasury notes were withdrawn in 1856.
The Indian rupee was formally established as the unlimited legal tender 18 June 1869. The rupee was decimalized 23 August 1871. Thus, the rupee of 100 cents became Ceylon's money of account and sole legal tender effective 1 January 1872, replacing British currency at a rate of 1 rupee = 2 shillings 3 pence.
In 1872, with the introduction of decimal currency of 100 cents to a rupee in Ceylon, a new definitive series was issued ranging from two cents to Rs 2.50. All were with the head of the Queen. The equivalent of a penny was four cents. Two shillings were equal to one rupee.
1877 : member of universal postal union : Sri lanka Stamp Journal- October 2006 regime
Any member country of the United Nations may become a member of the UPU.
Any non-member country of the United Nations may become a UPU member provided that its request is approved by at least two-thirds of the member countries of the UPU. The UPU has now 192 member countries.
Established in 1874, the Universal Postal Union (UPU), with its headquarters in the Swiss capital Berne, is the second oldest international organization worldwide. With its 192 member countries, the UPU is the primary forum for cooperation between postal sector players. It helps to ensure a truly universal network of up-to-date products and services
A century of stamps of Sri Lanka- D C Ranatunga, page 6
1882 Oct: At this time there was a requirement for stamps for local registered letter rate which was 16c and for ordinary letter rate to UK which was 20c via any route. The required values were obtained by surcharging locally by the Government Printer existing 24c and 64c stamps.
Sri lanka Stamp Journal- October 2006
A war tax stamp is a type of postage stamp added to an envelope in addition to regular postage. It is similar to a postal tax stamp, but the revenue is used to defray the costs of a war; as with other postal taxes, its use is obligatory for some period of time.
First World War, was a global war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918.
The "War Tax" stamps were issued by various entities within the British Empire (see list below) during World War I (and in the case of North Borneo, during World War II) to help fund the war effort. Generally these stamps were regular stamp issues that were overprinted with the words "WAR", "WAR TAX" or "WAR STAMP".
The War Tax Acts in most colonies and countries stated that the War Tax stamps were to be used in addition to whatever postage & registration fees were due on the item being mailed (postcards, letters & parcels in some cases). While the stamps were supposed to be used just to pay for the War Tax, many times they were also used to pay part of the postage and registration fees (as long as the total amount with the war tax was correct, it appears that most countries did not seem to mind).
Finding mint (unused) War Tax stamps is easy, collectors and dealers bought them in large quantities. Finding War Tax stamps used on cover is a bit more difficult. While on-cover examples from places like Canada and many of the Caribbean islands is easy, finding them on-cover from Bermuda, Fiji, Gibraltar, Gilbert & Ellice Islands and the Gold Coast is extremely difficult.
The countries & colonies that issued War Tax stamps during World War I were:
Antigua
Bahamas
Barbados
Bermuda
British Guiana
British Honduras
Canada
Cayman Islands
Ceylon
Dominica
Falkland Islands
Fiji
Gibraltar
Gilbert & Ellice Islands
Gold Coast
Grenada
Jamaica
Malta
Montserrat
New Zealand
St. Helena
St. Kitts / Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent
Trinidad & Tobago
Turks & Caicos Islands
(British) Virgin Islands
A major breakthrough in the design in stamps was seen in May 1935 with the release of Pictorial Stamps. A colourful design was depicted in each stamp with the portrait of the monarch (King George V) being limited to a corner along with the denomination. Eleven stamps were issued between May 1935 and January 1936. They carried attractive scenes of the country’s major crops tea, rubber and coconut, places of worship (Dalada Maligawa and Sri Pada), scenes of a river, irrigation tank, the Colombo harbour and Trincomalee.
Perforations : 13 1/2 X 14
water mark : Multiple script CA
designed by : H Fleury
Printed by : De La Rue & co. Ltd- England
( 250 stamps)
Antigua
Fiji
Niue
Ascension
Gambia
Northern Rhodesia
Australia
Gibraltar
Nyasaland
Bahamas
Gilbert & Ellice Islands
Papua
Barbados
Gold Coast
St. Christopher & Nevis
Basutoland
Great Britain
St. Helena
Bechuanaland
Grenada
St. Lucia
Bermuda
Hong Kong
St. Vincent
British Guiana
India
Samoa
British Honduras
Jamaica
Seychelles
BPO in Egypt
Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika
Sierra Leone
BPO in Morocco
Leeward Islands
Somaliland
British Solomons Islands
Malta
South Africa
Canada
Mauritius
South West Africa
Cayman Islands
Montserrat
Southern Rhodesia
Ceylon
Nauru
Straits Settlements
Cook Islands
Newfoundland
Swaziland
Cyprus
New Guinea
Trinidad & Tobago
Dominica
New Zealand
Turks & Caicos
Falkland Islands
Nigeria
Virgin Islands
The First omnibus issue of the world appeared in 1898 when Portugal and her overseas colonies celebrated the quarter centenary of vasco da Gama's discovery of the sea route to India
The monarch moved out of local stamps after Independence in 1948. That was after 91 years. George VI and Queen Elizabeth II were the last two to appear in our stamps. The country’s name which appeared only in English came to be displayed in Sinhala and Tamil as well. ‘Ceylon’ continued to be used in English. On the first anniversary of Independence in 1949, four commemorative stamps were issued – two in February and two in April. Two carried the Lion Flag (4c and 15c) and the other two (5c and 15c) the portrait of D.S. Senanayake, the first Prime Minister of Independent Ceylon.
The year 1957 marked the centenary of the issue of stamps in Sri Lanka. With the release of four stamps to mark the event, prominence was given to the Sinhala term ‘Sri Lanka’ followed by Tamil and English. ‘Ceylon’ was dropped altogether. This pattern is followed to this day.
A Century of Stamps of Sri Lanka, By D C Ranatunga,page 23
Sri Lanka Stamp Journal, page 33, says Telemail was introduced in 2002??/
