New Delhi [India], February 9 (ANI): The train tour “Shri Ramayan Yatra” is ready to depart on February 22 from Delhi Safdarjung Railway Station for a period of 19 nights/20 days itinerary. IRCTC‘s special tour offering based on the Ramayana Circuit under the Swadesh Darshan covers prominent places associated with the life of Lord Rama. 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 Rama. The upcoming trip will be having three additional destinations viz 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 stay will be arranged at Varanasi, Prayag, and Chitrakoot respectively.
The next destination that the train travels to is Nasik wherein a visit of Trayambakeshwar temple and Panchvati will be covered. The next destination after Nasik is Hampi which according to folklore is around the ancient monkey kingdom of Kishkindha. Here, the temple is believed to be the sacred birthplace of Shri Hanuman, and other heritage and religious sites will be covered. Then the train chugs into one of the holy Char Dham sites of Rameshwaram.
Excursions include a visit to the eponymous Ramanathaswamy temple and Dhanuskodi. The next destination is Kanchipuram which takes the guests through the Vishnu Kanchi, Shiva Kanchi, and the Kanchi Kamakshi Amman temple. Bhadrachalam will be the last destination of this train tour after which the train returns to Delhi on the 20th day of its journey. Guests will be traveling roughly 7500 Kms in this entire tour.
The modern Deluxe AC Tourist Train has a host of amazing features including two fine dining restaurants, a contemporary kitchen, shower cubicles in coaches, sensor-based washroom functions, a foot massager, and a mini-library. The fully air-conditioned train provides two types of accommodation viz. AC I and AC II. The train has enhanced security features like CCTV cameras, electronic safes, and dedicated security guards appointed for each coach.
IRCTC has launched this special tourist train in line with the Government of India’s initiative “Dekho Apna Desh” to promote domestic tourism, at a price of Rs 99,475 per person for 2AC and Rs 1,21,735 per person on 1AC class. Package price covers train journey in AC coaches, accommodation in AC Hotels, all meals (Veg only), all transfer and sight-seeing in AC Vehicles, travel insurance and services of IRCTC Tour Managers etc. All necessary health precautionary measures will be taken care of, by providing safe and healthy travel during the tour. Government/PSU employees can avail LTC facility on this tour as per eligibility based on the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Finance.
To ensure safety measures in the present COVID 19 scenario, full vaccination for passengers of age group 18 or above is mandatory. Besides, IRCTC will also provide a safety kit to all tourists, which would include a face mask, hand gloves, and sanitizers. Regular temperature checking of all tourists and staff, frequent train sanitization at halt stations, etc, and other precautions have also been adopted. Staff shall be screened thoroughly and the kitchen and restaurants shall be sanitized after every meal service. (ANI)