Delhi: Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi flags off 'Shri Ramayan Yatra' tourist train

New Delhi [India], February 5 : Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakashi Lekhi flagged off the 'Shri Ramayan Yatra,' a Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC tourist train, from Delhi's Safdarjung Railway Station on Sunday.
IRCTC's special tour offering, based on the Ramayana Circuit under the Swadesh Darshan, covers prominent places associated with the life of Lord Rama.
"Today the Shri Ramayan Yatra train has been flagged off, this journey will continue for 19 days, which will stop at 9 stations. All these tourists are from outside India and they pledged to go on a religious tour after Prana Pratishtha," Lekhi said.
The state-of-the-art Deluxe AC Tourist Train with AC I and AC II class will accommodate a total of 156 tourists. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC), a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, has decided to operate the popular "Shri Ramayana Yatra" by Deluxe AC Tourist train to promote spiritual tourism with a singular emphasis on the life of Shri Rama.
The train tour will start from Delhi Safdarjung railway station on February 22, 2022, and will cover the major places associated with the life of Lord Ram. The upcoming trip will have three additional destinations: Buxar, Kanchipuram, and Bhadrachalam.
Spanning over 19 nights/20 days, the first stop is Ayodhya, where tourists will visit Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple and Hanuman temple. Additionally, there would be Bharat Mandir at Nandigram. After Ayodhya, the next destination will be Sitamarhi in Bihar, where Sita is believed to be born, and Ram-Janaki Temple in Janakpur (Nepal) will be covered by road.
Post Sitamarhi, the guests shall be taken to Buxar for a tour of the Ramrekha ghat and the local temples followed by Varanasi, where they will visit temples at Varanasi, Prayag, Shringverpur, and Chitrakoot by road. Night stays will be arranged at Varanasi, Prayag, and Chitrakoot, respectively.