Railways flags 'Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist Train' between pilgrimage sites Ayodhya, Nepal's Janakpur

New Delhi [India], February 17 : To realize the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to showcase India's rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places to the people of India and the world, Indian Railways has launched its 'Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist Train' on a very special tour "Shri Ram-Janaki Yatra: Ayodhya to Janakpur" covering two significant pilgrimage sites Ayodhya in India and Janakpur in Nepal.
The tourist train was flagged off on Friday from Delhi's Safdarjung Railway Station.
Talking to ANI on this special occasion, CMD of IRCTC, Rajni Hasija said, "This is part of Ramayan Yatra, which connect birth places of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita, i.e. Ayodhya and Janakpur. The tourist train will include the visit of Nandigram, Sitamarhi, Kashi and Prayagraj as added attractions in the tour."
"This initiative will strengthen the bilateral relations and also promote the cultural relations between the two countries. There will be a two-night stay in the hotels, one each at Janakpur and Varanasi respectively, while the visit to Ayodhya, Sitamarhi and Prayagraj will be covered in the day halt at the destination," she added.
Hasija further informed that the State of Art Deluxe AC Tourist Train has a host of astounding features including two fine dining restaurants, a modern kitchen, shower cubicles in coaches, sensor-based washroom functions, and foot massager.
While talking to ANI, Sanjay Awasthi, a staff-member of the train said, "To serve on this train is a precious moment for me. I have served in many tourist trains. But to be part of this train is special for everyone. We maintain hygiene while providing services to passengers."
The fully air-conditioned train provides two types of accommodation i.e. 1st AC and 2nd AC. The train has enhanced security features of CCTV cameras and Security Guards for each coach and is also equipped with infotainment system in the entire train.
The 7 days Bharat Gaurav Tourist train tour has its first stop at Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, where tourists will visit Shri Ram Janmbhumi temple and Hanuman temple and additionally Bharat Mandir at Nandigram.
After Ayodhya, the train will move to Sitamarhi Railway station in Bihar and tourists will further proceed to Janakpur in Nepal by bus which is 70 km away from Sitamarhi Railway station.
During their stay at Janakpur, tourists can visit Ram Janki Temple, Sita Ram Vivah Mandap and Dhanush Dham.
After visiting Janakpur, on the next day tourist will return back to Sitamarhi and visit Janki temple at Sitamarhi and Punaura Dham.
From Sitamarhi, the train will proceed on an overnight journey to Varanasi.
While at Kashi, tourists will visit Sarnath, Kashi Vishwanath temple and corridor, Tulsi temple and Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple.
Tourists will move from Varanasi to Prayagraj by bus and visit Sangam, Shankar Viman Mandapam, Hanuman temple and Bharadwaj Ashram. After Prayagraj, the train will return back to Delhi on the 7th day of its journey. Guests will be travelling roughly 2500 kms in this tour.
Talking about their journey, many passengers of this train said that they are excited to be the part of this journey. This will give a different type of experience to visit various places.
Many passengers expressed their happiness that they will get a chance to visit Ram Janmbhoomi, Sitamarhi and Janakpur for the first time. Also, visiting Varanasi and Prayagraj is very exciting and special. And, this has been possible only because of the visionary idea of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In order to make this package more attractive and affordable to a large population, IRCTC has tied up with Paytm and Razorpay payment gateways for providing EMI payment options for breaking the total payment into small amount EMIs.
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 39,775 per person (an all-inclusive tour package), the price is covering the train journey in respective class, Night stays at AC hotels, All Vegetarian meals, all transfer and sight-seeing in buses, Travel Insurance and services of guide.