Sri Lanka Post
Encyclopedia
The Department of Posts, functioning under the brand name Sri Lanka Post, is a government operated postal system in Sri Lanka
. The postal headquarters is the General Post Office
which is located in Colombo
. The department itself comes under the purview of the Ministry of Telecommunications and Posts. It was formally known as the Ceylon Post and Telecommunications Department and is one of the oldest Government departments in existence today.
The head of the Sri Lanka Post is the Postmaster General
, currently M. K. B. Dissanayake. Assisting in administration there is a deputy Postmaster General in every province. Sri Lanka Post employs more than 17,000 employees in various positions to staff and support the 4738 post office
s across the country.
operated the Postal service, which was not meant for the public but for official use..
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. They re-organised the postal service and others eventually established a permanent Post Office in Colombo in 1882.
(1798–1815), whose inland territory had never been under the influence of the Dutch.
The first adhesive stamps (the six-pence purple-brown stamps on blued paper) were issued on 1 April 1857, seventeen years after Britain had introduced the adhesive postage stamp to the world. The first stamps in local denominations of rupees and cents were issued on 1 February 1892.
, opposite the Governor General's residence - the Queens's House
on Queen's Street, currently the Janadhipath Mawatha (President's Street). During the disturbances
in the country, the GPO was moved out of its former building and into the present Postal Headquarters
. The new building, consisting of 9 floors of modern facilities, is the center of operations and administration. The Postal Museum, too, is housed in this building.
and Kandy
. This was extended between Galle
and Colombo in 1838. The year 1892 saw the first "Travelling Post Office" doing its run between Colombo and Peradeniya
, a suburb of Kandy.
"Bedford" vans made in England were used, even during the '70s. Today Sri Lanka Post uses a fleet of Japanese vehicles painted in the traditional red. During the '50s and '60s postmen on British made BSA - Bantam motorcycles were a familiar sight. When the postman's beat becoming smaller in the cities, the motorcycles gave way to the bicycles. The mails are carried today by railway, public and private omni-buses, and the department's fleet of vehicles.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. The postal headquarters is the General Post Office
General Post Office, Colombo
The General Post Office, also known as the GPO, is the headquarters of the Sri Lanka Post. It is also the office of the Post Master General.-Building:...
which is located in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
. The department itself comes under the purview of the Ministry of Telecommunications and Posts. It was formally known as the Ceylon Post and Telecommunications Department and is one of the oldest Government departments in existence today.
The head of the Sri Lanka Post is the Postmaster General
Postmaster General of Sri Lanka
The Postmaster General of Sri Lanka is the appointed head of Sri Lanka Post, which is a government department. The current Postmaster General is K. A. S. Senadheera.-History:...
, currently M. K. B. Dissanayake. Assisting in administration there is a deputy Postmaster General in every province. Sri Lanka Post employs more than 17,000 employees in various positions to staff and support the 4738 post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
s across the country.
History
Sri Lanka Post has a long history of 209 years, dating back to 1798, when the colonial Dutch rulers started five post offices in the Maritime Districts under their control. In 1799, they published the first postal regulations and postage rates. The Dutch East India CompanyDutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
operated the Postal service, which was not meant for the public but for official use..
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. They re-organised the postal service and others eventually established a permanent Post Office in Colombo in 1882.
Postage stamps
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 KandyKingdom of Kandy
Kingdom of Kandy was an important independent monarchy of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century...
(1798–1815), whose inland territory had never been under the influence of the Dutch.
The first adhesive stamps (the six-pence purple-brown stamps on blued paper) were issued on 1 April 1857, seventeen years after Britain had introduced the adhesive postage stamp to the world. The first stamps in local denominations of rupees and cents were issued on 1 February 1892.
The General Post Office
The General Post Office was housed in different places in Colombo. By 1895 it acquired its own buildingGeneral Post Office, Colombo
The General Post Office, also known as the GPO, is the headquarters of the Sri Lanka Post. It is also the office of the Post Master General.-Building:...
, opposite the Governor General's residence - the Queens's House
President's House, Colombo
President's House is the official residence of the President of Sri Lanka, located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It used to be the Queen's House until Sri Lanka became a Republic in 1972.-History:...
on Queen's Street, currently the Janadhipath Mawatha (President's Street). During the disturbances
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
in the country, the GPO was moved out of its former building and into the present Postal Headquarters
General Post Office, Colombo
The General Post Office, also known as the GPO, is the headquarters of the Sri Lanka Post. It is also the office of the Post Master General.-Building:...
. The new building, consisting of 9 floors of modern facilities, is the center of operations and administration. The Postal Museum, too, is housed in this building.
Transportation
Over the years, different modes of transport have been used for the transportation and delivery of mail. In a bygone era, delivery was first by foot (in the hills and remote places it is not uncommon to see postmen delivering letters on foot, even today!), then bicycles were added. Sri Lanka Post was the first to inaugurate a mail coach service in Asia. The mail coach service began operations in 1832, between ColomboColombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
and Kandy
Kandy
Kandy is a city in the center of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an...
. This was extended between Galle
Galle
Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka and it lies in Galle District....
and Colombo in 1838. The year 1892 saw the first "Travelling Post Office" doing its run between Colombo and Peradeniya
Peradeniya
Peradeniya is a town of about 50,000 inhabitants on the outskirts of Kandy in Sri Lanka. It is situated on the A1 main road connecting Kandy and Colombo, just a few kilometres west of Kandy....
, a suburb of Kandy.
"Bedford" vans made in England were used, even during the '70s. Today Sri Lanka Post uses a fleet of Japanese vehicles painted in the traditional red. During the '50s and '60s postmen on British made BSA - Bantam motorcycles were a familiar sight. When the postman's beat becoming smaller in the cities, the motorcycles gave way to the bicycles. The mails are carried today by railway, public and private omni-buses, and the department's fleet of vehicles.
See also
- General Post Office, ColomboGeneral Post Office, ColomboThe General Post Office, also known as the GPO, is the headquarters of the Sri Lanka Post. It is also the office of the Post Master General.-Building:...
- List of people on stamps of Sri Lanka
- Post and Telegraph SignalsPost and Telegraph SignalsPost and Telegraph Signals was a regiment of the Ceylon Army. Raised in 1955 with staff from the Department of Post and Ceylon Telegraph Department. The government hoped to minimized the effects to the Post and Telegraph services in the event of trade union action by mobilizing the personnel...
- Postage stamps and postal history of Sri LankaPostage stamps and postal history of Sri LankaThis is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka, known as Ceylon before 22 May 1972, is an island country in South Asia, located about 31km off the southern coast of India...
- Postal codes in Sri LankaPostal codes in Sri LankaPostal codes in Sri Lanka are five digit numeric. They were first introduced in 1997.-Major cities and towns:-Colombo District :-Gampaha District :-Kalutara District :-See also:* ISO 3166-2:LK* Sri Lanka Post...