Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train ‘Shri Jagannath Yatra’ Arrives in Puri

Puri: The Shree Jagannath Express, which left Delhi last Wednesday, arrived at the Puri railway station this morning.

Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Dharmendra Pradhan flagged off the express train during a special inauguration ceremony in Delhi.

As part of the expansive Bharat Gaurav initiative of the Railways, the Shri Jagannath Yatra tourist train embarked on its maiden voyage on January 25, visiting well-known pilgrimage destinations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha.

The tourist train, which has ten AC three-tier coaches, will depart from Delhi’s Safdarjung station on January 25 and return on February 1. Tourists will have options to board or de-board the train at Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Tundla, Etawah, Kanpur and Lucknow stations. The journey also includes stops in Gaya, Varanasi, and the Baidyanath Dham temple in Jharkhand’s Deoghar, according to the officials, in addition to Puri’s Jagannath Temple.

Visitors will visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, the tunnel that connects it and witness the Ganga aarti at the first stop in Varanasi. The tourists will continue to Jasidih in Jharkhand where they would see the Baidyanath Dham Temple. The train will then make its way towards Puri, where lodgings will be reserved for stays of two nights. Visitors visiting Odisha will go by bus to see the Jagannath Temple, the Sun Temple in Konark, and the temples from the Kalinga era in Bhubaneswar.

The final stop for the travellers will be Gaya in the state of Bihar, where they will visit the Vishnupad temple. On the eighth day of travel, the train will head back to Delhi after travelling for around 4,000 kilometres.

Freshly prepared vegetarian meals would be provided on board, according to the Railways. An infotainment system has also been installed on the train for both passenger amusement and public announcements. Additionally, it will have improved security measures including CCTV cameras and guards will be stationed inside each coach.

The Center’s programme “Dekho Apna Desh” to boost domestic tourism is in conjunction with the introduction of the IRCTC Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train. As part of the Bharat Gaurav Train initiative, Indian Railways is giving rail tourism marketing a 33% discount. The affordable packages are starting at Rs 17,655 per person.