Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train: Indian Railways’ Shri Ramayana Yatra Flagged Off From Delhi

INDIAN RAILWAYS UPDATE: Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw along with Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region Kishan Reddy flagged off Shri Ramayana Yatra, a Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train, from Delhi Safdarjung Railway Station today on Tuesday, June 21.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation’s (IRCTC) 18-day Shri Ramayana Yatra special tourist train will take take pilgrims to sacred places associated with the life of Lord Ram. The train, which has 11 third AC class coaches with an accommodation capacity of around 600 passengers, will cost a passenger Rs 62,370.

The tour package aims at realising devotees’ dreams to visit places, where Lord Ram, his wife Goddess Sita and Lord Laxman had set foot, while undertaking an exile in the forest for 14 years.

ROUTES:

The train will run on the Ramayan circuit identified under Swadesh Darshan scheme covering prominent places that include Ayodhya, Janakpur (Nepal), Sitamarhi, Buxar, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Shringverpur, Chitrakoot, Nashik, Hampi, Rameshwaram, Kanchipuram and Bhadrachalam (also known as Ayodhya of South India).

According to Ajit Kumar Sinha, chief regional manager of IRCTC, Lucknow, it is for the first time that a tourist train will go from India to Nepal, and connect two religious cities of Ayodhya and Janakpur.

BOARDING POINTS:

The boarding points, apart from Delhi, are Aligarh, Tundla, Kanpur and Lucknow, he said, adding that the cost of a ticket is uniform irrespective of the station a passenger boards from. Sinha said the tour plan includes food, stay in hotel and guide services at the points of visit.

The interiors of the Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train, which will return to Delhi on the 18th day of its journey covering roughly a distance of around 8,000 kilometres, will be based on the Ramayana epic, the officials said.

As many as 285 bookings have already been done from various parts of the country, Sinha said, adding the maximum 61 bookings are from Maharashtra followed by 55 from Uttar Pradesh.

The IRCTC has also tied up with Paytm and Razorpay payment gateways for providing EMI options to the passengers. Besides, an early bird discount of 5 per cent in fare will be given to the first 50 per cent passengers. The EMI payment option given by the IRCTC is also for the first time, Sinha said.

HERE’S HOW TO BOOK TICKETS ON IRCTC:

Step 1: Visit at irctc.co.in

Step 2: Click on the log in option on the homepage

Step 3: After logging in, you have to go to ‘Book Your Ticket’ page

Step 4: Enter starting and ending station, boarding and destination station

Step 5: Select date of your journey and the class in which you want to travel

Step 6: Check if the seat is available in the train of your choice

Step 7: If seats are available, click on book now option

Step 8: Provide required details to book tickets

Step 9: Enter mobile number and captcha

Step 10: Pay charges online using credit card, debit card, net banking or UPI

Step 11: Finally, you will receive a message on your phone

(With agencies input)

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