Postal Index Number (PIN) code is a six digit number which was introduced on August 15, 1972 and appears in almost all postal articles. Though PIN code has not received much respect in the recent times with more private courier companies coming into picture and stressing more on providing phone number than PIN code, it is indeed one of the most important piece of information which ensures your package reaches the correct location. So it may not be wrong to say that the PIN code is as important to a letter as is a steering wheel to a car!!!
How does a PIN code work?
The PIN code system works on a coding system wherein each number represents a particular place and the combination of these letters determine the location to which the package is to be delivered.
The entire country has been divided into nine zones including eight regional zones and one functional zone, which is provided below:
Number
|
Region
|
States Covered
|
1
|
Northern
|
Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir
|
2
|
Northern
|
Northern Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal
|
3
|
Western
|
Western Rajasthan and Gujarat
|
4
|
Western
|
Western Chattisgarh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh
|
5
|
Southern
|
Southern Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka
|
6
|
Southern
|
Southern Kerala and Tamil Nadu
|
7
|
Eastern
|
Eastern West Bengal, Orissa and North Eastern
|
8
|
Eastern
|
Eastern Bihar & Jharkhand
|
9
|
Army Post office(APO) and Field Post office(FPO)
|
The first digit indicates one of these zones / region.
First 2/3 Digits of PIN
|
Circle
|
11
|
Delhi
|
12 and 13
|
Haryana
|
14 to 16
|
Punjab
|
17
|
Himachal Pradesh
|
18 to 19
|
Jammu & Kashmir
|
20 to 28
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
30 to 34
|
Rajasthan
|
36 to 39
|
Gujarat
|
40 to 44
|
Maharashtra
|
45 to 48
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
49
|
Chattisgarh
|
50 to 53
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
56 to 59
|
Karnataka
|
60 to 64
|
Tamil Nadu
|
67 to 69
|
Kerala
|
682
|
Lakshadweep (Islands)
|
70 to 74
|
West Bengal
|
744
|
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
|
75 to 77
|
Orissa
|
78
|
Assam
|
79
|
North Eastern
|
793, 794, 783123
|
Meghalaya
|
795
|
Manipur
|
796
|
Mizoram
|
799
|
Tripura
|
80 to 85
|
Bihar
|
The second digit indicates the sub-region, and the third digit indicates the sorting district within the region.
The next three digits will indicate the particular post office where the letter is to be delivered.
The first 3 digits together will indicate the sorting or revenue district where the letter is to be basically routed. The last 3 digits refer to the actual post office where the article is to be finally delivered.
Example:
The PIN code for the Press Information Bureau in Madurai is 625 020. Here the first digit 6 again stands for the PIN zone – Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Kerala. The next two digits – 25 – represent the District of Madurai, while the two final digits -20 - together represents the post office of Gandhi nagar, the delivery post office for PIB, Madurai!Source - The Pincode – The “Steering Wheel” of a Letter by Dr. K. Parameswaran. Image from Wikipedia.
Here it is also important to note that the number given to the Gandhi nagar post office in the city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu is unique. No other post office in India will have this number. A check with the post PIN code directory will reveal that the delivery post offices in Mathura – the holy city in Uttar Pradesh (UP) – with which the temple city of Madurai is likely to be confused has a completely different PIN code – 281 001. Two stands for the PIN zone consisting of UP and Uttarkhand; 81 represents the district of Mathura while 001 stands fro Mathura Head Post office.
