Unofficial travel companion
Chase every stamp in Karnataka's Philately Passport
India Post's Karnataka Postal Circle sells a passport booklet linking heritage sites, wildlife reserves, and temples to designated post offices where you collect a Permanent Pictorial Cancellation. This site maps every location, tells you why it matters, and gets you there.
106 sites documented so far — help us finish the map on the contribute page.
Featured sites
View all →Aihole Heritage Complex
Bagalkot
Called the "cradle of Indian temple architecture," this early Chalukya capital holds over a hundred stone temples spanning centuries of experimental design, from apsidal chaitya-hall forms to fully evolved shikharas.
Stamp at: Aihole Post Office
Amritapura Amriteshwara Temple
Chikkamagaluru
A Hoysala temple consecrated in 1196 CE by the general Amrutheshwara Dandanayaka, renowned for its unusually tall shikhara and finely detailed sculptural work.
Stamp at: Amritapura Post Office
Ashoka Pillar
Bengaluru Urban
A replica of the Ashokan lion capital at a landmark Jayanagar traffic circle, invoking Emperor Ashoka's Mauryan legacy and India's national emblem at the heart of one of Bengaluru's oldest planned localities.
Stamp at: Jayanagar Post Office
Baba Budangiri Hills
Chikkamagaluru
A syncretic pilgrimage hill revered as both Dattatreya Peetha and the dargah of Sufi saint Hazrat Baba Budan, who is also credited with bringing coffee cultivation to India.
Stamp at: Baba Budangiri Post Office
Badami Cave Temples
Bagalkot
Rock-cut Chalukyan cave temples (6th century CE) carved into a red sandstone cliff above Agastya Lake — the site of Karnataka's very first Permanent Pictorial Cancellation, issued in 1987.
Stamp at: Badami Post Office
Bahmani Tombs
Bidar
The royal necropolis of the Bahmani Sultanate at Ashtur, a row of monumental domed tombs that trace the dynasty's architectural evolution and eventual decline.
Stamp at: Ashtur Post Office
How the Philately Passport works
- 1. Buy the passport. It's sold at the philatelic bureaus in Bengaluru GPO, Mysuru HO, Mangaluru HO, and Belagavi HO.
- 2. Pick a site. Use this site to find one near you, see why it matters, and get directions.
- 3. Visit the linked post office. Affix a postage stamp on the dedicated page.
- 4. Get it cancelled. Ask the postmaster for the Permanent Pictorial Cancellation (PPC) — a unique postmark for that site.