Anchal Aappees was the first postal system introduced in the former state of Thiruvithamkur (earlier spelt Travancore.) It was introduced by the British officer Colonel John Monroe in 1811. In the beginning, it was used to carry only Royal implements, government letters, and flowers as offering to
Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple at
Thiruvananthapuram. Later the system was opened to the public for a fee of one chakram (coin used in Thiruvithamkur.) Anchal Aappees was headed by an 'anchal pillai' (the post master.) Postal runners who carry postal articles were allowed to run along the middle of the road. Any obstruction made to the postal runners was considered a serious offence.
The term 'anchal' means 'postal' and 'aappees' is an earlier vernacular word for 'office.'
