The Ministry of Railways has introduced ‘Bharat Gaurav Trains’ to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage by connecting important historical, cultural and religious places of the country through railways.
To date, 29 trips of Bharat Gaurav Trains have been operated across the length and breadth of the country. Taking this novel initiative ahead, Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will commence the “Puri – Gangasagar Bhavya Kashi Yatra” from Indore station on 16th May 2023 and “Sri Rameshwaram Tirupati Dakshin Darshan Yatra” from Indore station on 29th May 2023. Both trips will span over 10 days. Confirming the development a senior railway official said, " For more details, one can visit IRCTC website: www.irctctourism.com and booking is available online, on a first come first serve basis on the web portal"
Puri – Gangasagar Bhavya Kashi Yatra
Starting the journey from Indore, the yatra will cover six divine destinations in a tour of 9 nights and 10 days (from 16th to 25th May, 2023).
The tour package will cost Rs.17,600/- per person. The Yatris in the train will get a unique opportunity to visit Puri, Konark, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Deoghar, Varanasi, and Ayodhya. To benefit all the rail passengers, boarding (& deboarding at the end of the journey) has been given at 7 important stations across the state of Madhya Pradesh.
The first stop of this train is Puri where pilgrims will visit the Jagannath Puri Temple. Pilgrims will next visit the famous Konark Temple and head to Bhubaneswar to visit the Lingaraj Temple. The Yatris will then proceed to Kolkata for an overnight stay at Gangasagar and visit the Kali Mandir the next day.
The next stop will be at Jaisidih station to visit Baba Baidyanath Dham Jyotirlinga Temple in Deoghar. Yatris will also get to visit the sacred city of Varanasi & visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and aarti at Ganga Ghat. In the last leg of the yatra, the pilgrims will proceed to Ayodhya and visit the Shri Ram Janam Bhumi Temple.
Sri Rameshwaram Tirupati Dakshin Darshan Yatra
The yatra will start from Indore and will cover five divine destinations in a tour of 9 nights and 10 days (from 29th May to 7th June, 2023). The tour package will cost Rs.18,700/- per person.
The Yatris in the train will get a unique opportunity to visit Tirupati, Rameshwaram, Madurai, Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram. To benefit all the rail passengers, boarding (& deboarding at the end of the journey) has been given at 8 important stations across the state of Madhya Pradesh.
The first divine stop of this holy journey will be at Renigunta station to visit Tirupati Balaji Temple. The yatra will then proceed to visit the Padmavati Temple. The next day, pilgrims will arrive at Madurai railway station to reach Rameshwaram and visit the Ramanathaswamy Temple.
The yatris will then proceed to Meenakshi Temple and reach Kanyakumari station the next day. The yatris will visit Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Gandhi Mandapam and Kanyakumari Temple. At last, the yatris will proceed to Thiruvananthapuram station and visit Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
Facilities
According to railway officials, the train provides holistic service to rail passengers by taking care of all their travel-related needs. The tour package includes all travel facilities (including both rails as well as road transport), accommodation facility in Non-AC Budget Hotel Rooms on a Twin and Triple Sharing basis, Wash and Change facilities, catering arrangements (Morning Tea, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner – both On-Board and Off-Board), Services of professional and friendly tour escorts, Security on the train – CCTV Cameras installed in all Coaches, Public announcement facility in all coaches, Travel insurance and presence of IRCTC Tour Managers throughout the travel for assistance.
