Description: This sharply rendered turquoise-blue official service stamp from India features the ancient Lion Capital of Ashoka Pillar carved at Sarnath. The central graphics illustrate the three visible roaring lions sitting prominently over an embellished circular base, which features a sculpted miniature layout of the sacred Ashoka Chakra wheel. Finely detailed vertical rectangular frame lanes boasting traditional stylized floral runners enclose the primary historical statue, aligned below stacked text frames reading "SERVICE" and "POSTAGE" to signal authorized use by state institutions. The lower corners contain the "6 N.P." face value in western numbers opposite its equivalent Hindi Devanagari script abbreviation, bordering the country name "INDIA" printed uniformly across the baseline. A heavy, dark circular handstamp cancellation heavily smudges the central design to indicate official post office sorting.
Circa: 1957-1964
Condition: Used-Hinged
Notes:
The standard inscription "N.P." means Naye Paise (New Paise), a critical fiscal tracking mechanism implemented on April 1, 1957, to explicitly guide postmasters and the public as the nation abandoned its old pre-decimal anna coin fractions.