The Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and Development of the North-East, G. Kishan Reddy, flagged off the ‘Ganga Pushkarala Yatra: Puri-Kashi-Ayodhya’ Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train on Saturday at the Secunderabad Railway Station.
Speaking on the occasion, he said that Indian Railways is providing a great opportunity to pilgrims from all over India with the introduction of Bharat Gaurav trains to showcase India’s cultural heritage and historical spots to the people of India and the world.
He said the Bharat Gaurav trains have evoked a great response from the people of the two Telugu states. Indian Railways aims to leverage the core strengths of tourism professionals to run pilgrimage trains to tap the vast tourism potential of India.
He also said that the Railways is also introducing Mata Vaishnodevi with a Haridwar – Rishikesh Bharat Gaurav Tourism Train from June 10 to June 18.
Arun Kumar Jain, the GM of SCR, said that the train offers a unique opportunity to pilgrims to visit culturally important places without the hassle of planning an individual itinerary.
He said that Bharat Gaurav trains will give a major fillip to tourism in the country.
The third Bharat Gaurav train from the two Telugu states commenced its journey from Secunderabad on Saturday.
Passengers were given a traditional welcome with Kuchipudi dancers displaying the cultural heritage of the two Telugu states.
Till now, two trips (March 18 and April 18) have been operated and it received an enthusiastic response from passengers with the train getting fully booked (about 700 passengers in a trip).
Already, the fourth and fifth trips have been announced and they will be commencing on May 13 and May 27 respectively.
The third trip of the current Bharat Gaurav train coincides with the Sacred Pushkaralu in the Ganga being held from April 22 to May 3.
The train provides a unique opportunity to pilgrims of both the Telugu states by providing boarding/de-boarding facilities at Secunderabad, Kazipet, Khammam, Vijayawada, Eluru, Rajahmundry, Samalkot, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram.
The train will take the pilgrims to some of the most sacred Hindu religious places like Kashi, Ayodhya, Puri, Konark, Prayagraj and Gaya.
