The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) announced the second run of Bharat Gaurav trains after its success on the Ramayana Circuit. This time, the train’s itinerary involves Nepal’s Janakpur as well. IRCTC, a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, has announced that the train will be run again on August 24. Like the first tour, the train will again go to Nepal from India and connect Janakpur in the neighbouring country.
The special theme-based tour will cover pilgrimage and heritage sites across India, including Ayodhya, Sitamarhi, Buxar, Varanasi, Prayag, Chitrakoot, Nasik, Hampi, Rameshwaram, Kanchipuram and Bhadrachalam. To ensure additional comfort for elderly passengers, the duration of the Ramayan Yatra tour has been revised from 18 days to 20 days in its next schedule.
Coupled with a state-of-the-art air-conditioned rake, the tourist train will first stop at Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram, where the guests will visit the Ram Janmabhoomi temple and the Hanuman temple and additionally, the Bharat mandir at Nandigram.
From Ayodhya, the train will go to Janakpur in Nepal via Jaynagar. The guests will stay overnight at hotels in Janakpur and visit the famous Janaki temple and the Ram-Janaki wedding place.
They will then proceed to Sitamarhi to visit Sita’s birth place and thereafter, the train will arrive at Buxar, where the guests will be shown the hermitage of Maharishi Vishwamitra and the Ramrekha Ghat, where they can take a dip in the Ganges.
The next destination will be the oldest living city in the world, Varanasi. While at Kashi, the guests will walk around the temples at the Varanasi Sita Samahit Sthal. The temples in Prayag, Shringverpur and Chitrakoot will be covered by road. Night stay at hotels will be provided at Varanasi, Prayag and Chitrakoot.
The tourists will then go to Nasik and spend a night at hotels. The Trayambakeshwar temple and Panchvati will be covered in this phase.
The next destination of the train will be the ancient city of Kishkindha, Hampi with overnight stay for the guests at hotels. Here the guests will visit the temple believed to be the birth place of Hanuman atop the Anjaneyadri Hills and other heritage and religious sites.
Rameshwaram will be the next destination of the train, wherein the Ramanathaswamy temple and Dhanushkodi will be covered, along with overnight stay at hotels. The next destination will be Kanchipuram where the Shiv Kanchi, Vishnu Kanchi and Kamakhshi temples will be covered.
The last destination of the train in this tour will be Bhadrachalam in Telangana, which is widely referred to as the “Ayodhya of the south.” After this, the train will return to Delhi on the 20th day of its journey, covering roughly a distance of 8,000 km.
The fully air-conditioned tourist train will comprise 11 3-AC coaches, one pantry car and two SLRs. Freshly-cooked vegetarian meals will be served to the guests on board from a well-equipped pantry car.
The train has also been fitted with an infotainment system for the entertainment of the passengers as well as for public announcements. Clean toilets and enhanced security features, including CCTV cameras and security guards for each coach, have been provided for the tourists.
At a price range starting from Rs 73,500 per person, the IRCTC tourist train will be a 20-day all-inclusive tour package.
(With inputs from PTI)
