IRCTC Latest News: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is set to launch an 18-day-long ‘Shri Ramayana Yatra’, a pilgrimage tour through ‘Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train’ under Swadesh Darshan scheme on the Ramayana circuit.Also Read – Kedarnath Yatra Halted Due To Heavy Rain, Thunderstorms Warning Issued
“The tour package aims at realising devotees’ dreams to visit places, where Lord Ram, his wife Godess Sita and Lord Laxman had set foot, while undertaking an exile in the forest for 14 years,” said Ajit Kumar Sinha, chief regional manager of IRCTC, Lucknow. Also Read – Char Dham Yatra: Kedarnath Littered With Waste; Mountain Of Garbage Piles Up Amid Pilgrims’ Visit | See Pics
The tour will begin on June 21 and take pilgrims to sacred places associated with the life of Lord Ram, officials said on Wednesday. It will cover sacred places including Ayodhya, Janakpur (Nepal), Sitamarhi, Buxar, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Shringverpur, Chitrakoot, Nashik, Hampi, Rameshwaram, Kanchipuram and Bhadrachalam. Also Read – Char Dham Yatra 2022: 57 Pilgrims Die Due To Health-Related Issues
Tour Package Price:
The exclusive train has 11 third AC class coaches with an accommodation capacity of around 600 passengers. Each ticket will cost Rs 62,370, informed the officials. “Booking is on for the tour which will start from Delhi’s Safdarjung railway station,” said Sinha.
Places covered in the tour:
Sinha said that 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. The boarding points, apart from Delhi are Aligarh, Tundla, Kanpur and Lucknow. He added that the cost of a ticket is uniform, irrespective
of the station a passenger boards from.
Services included in the tour:
The tour plan includes food, stay in hotel and guide services at the points of visit. The major destinations it plans to cover include Ram Janma Bhoomi temple in Ayodhya, Bharat-Hanuman temple in Nandigram, Ganga-Yamuna sangam in Prayagraj and many more.
The complete itinerary of the tour can be accessed here on the IRCTC website.
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 percent in fare will also be given to the first 50 percent passengers.
The EMI payment option given by the IRCTC is also for the first time, Sinha said.
(With inputs from PTI)
