Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Hon’ble Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region, Govt. of India flagged off “Ganga Pushkarala Yatra: Puri-Kashi-Ayodhya” Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train at Secunderabad Railway Station.
More Details:
- The 3rd Bharat Gaurav Train from the two Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh commenced its journey from Secunderabad Station. A festive atmosphere prevailed at the station premises with Rail Yatris being greeted with traditional welcome and Kuchipudi dancers evoking cultural heritage of the two Telugu states.
- Introduction of Bharat Gaurav Trains is a testament of the continuous endeavour of the Indian Railways to provide enhanced train services to the rail passengers in the two Telugu states. This train provides a unique opportunity to the pilgrim passengers of both the Telugu speaking states.
- Till now, two trips (on 18th March and 18th April 2023) have already been operated under the initiative and have seen enthusiastic response from the passengers, with the train being fully booked (about 700 passengers in a trip).
- Already, the 4th and 5thtrip have also been announced which will be commencing on 13th May 2023 and 27th May 2023 respectively.
Third trip of Bharat Gaurav Train from SCR:
- The third trip of the present Bharat Gaurav Train coincides with the Sacred Pushkaralu in the holy river Ganga being held from 22nd April to 3rd May, 2023.
- The train provides a unique opportunity to pilgrim passengers of both Telugu states by providing boarding / de-boarding facility at: Secunderabad, Kazipet, Khammam, Vijayawada, Eluru, Rajahmundry, Samalkot, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram.
- The Train will take the pilgrim passengers to visit some of the most sacred religious places of Hindus viz., Kashi, Ayodhya, Puri, Konark, Prayagraj and Gaya.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri G. Kishan Reddy stated that Indian Railways is providing a great opportunity to the pilgrim passengers all over India with the introduction of Bharat Gaurav Trains to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places to the people of India and the world. Bharat Gaurav Trains have evoked a great response from the people of two Telugu states. Indian Railways aims to leverage the core strengths of the professionals of the tourism sector to run pilgrimage based trains to tap the vast tourist potential of India. He also stated that Railways is also introducing Mata Vaishnodevi with Haridwar – Rishikesh Bharat Gaurav Tourism Train from 10th June to 18th June, 2023.
Shri Arun Kumar Jain, GM, South Central Railway stated that the train offers a unique opportunity to pilgrim passengers to visit these culturally prominent places without the hassle of planning individual itinerary items. He stated that, Bharat Gaurav trains will give major fillip to the growth of Tourism in the country, while also fulfilling the desire of the tourist passengers in the most convenient manner.
- Shri Arun Kumar Jain, General Manager, SCR, Shri Abhay Kumar Gupta, Divisional Railway Manager, Secunderabad Division, Shri P. Raj Kumar, GGM, IRCTC along with other Senior Railway officials participated in the flagging-off of the Bharat Gaurav Train.
Destinations and visits covered | |
Puri | Lord Jagannath Temple |
Konark | Sun Temple & Beach |
Gaya | Vishnu Pada Temple |
Varanasi | Kashi Viswanath Temple & Corridor, Kashi Vishalakshi and Annapurna Devi temple. Evening Ganga Aarti |
Ayodhya | Ram Janma Bhoomi, Hanumangarhi and Aarati at Sarayu River |
Pryagraj | Triveni Sangam, Hanuman Mandir and Shankar Viman Mandapam |
Source: South Central Railway- Press Release | Images Credit: South Central Railway
