New Delhi: The Bharat Gaurav tourist train “Shri Jagannath Yatra” embarked on its journey on an 8 days tour wherein one among the Char Dhams of India, Jagannath temple of Puri, will be visited by the tourists. The visit of Varanasi, Baidyanath Dham, Konark and Gaya are the added attractions of the tour.
The train, which was flagged off today from Delhi Safdarjung Railway Station by Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Ashwini Vaishnaw and G Kishan Reddy, started on its very special tour with 528 tourists, covering some of the very prominent pilgrimage and heritage destinations of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa.
The 8-day train tour has its first stop at Varanasi, the ancient holy city, where tourists will visit the Kashi Vishwanath temple and corridor along with the Ganga ghat. After Varanasi, the train will move to Jashidih Railway station in Jharkhand and tourists will proceed to visit the Baidyanath Dham Jyotirling temple. The train will depart from Jashidih to Puri where a stay for two nights has been arranged for them in the hotels. While at Puri, tourists will visit Jagannath temple, Golden Puri beach, Sun temple at Konark and the temples of Bhubaneshwar. After Puri, Gaya will be the last destination where the visit to Vishnupad temple will be covered in the tour. The train will return to Delhi on February 1, 2023.
Coupled with a modern state-of-the-art AC rake, the tourist train has options to board/de-board the train at Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Tundla, Etawah, Kanpur and Lucknow stations in the tour. Freshly cooked vegetarian meals will be served on board to the guests from the well-equipped modern 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, as well as enhanced security features of CCTV cameras and security guards for each coach, have also been provided.
The Bharat Gaurav tourist train launch is in line with the Government of India initiative “Dekho Apna Desh” to promote domestic tourism. At a price range starting from Rs. 17,655/- per person, the tourist train will be an all-inclusive tour package covering train journey in 3rd AC, Night stays at hotels, vegetarian meals, all transfer and sight-seeing in buses, Travel Insurance and services of a guide.
The IRCTC Ltd, a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, is running the train.
– global bihari bureau
