Ramayan circuit 'Bharat Gaurav' to be flagged off on June 21

New Delhi: The first Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train will be launched on June 21 to showcase all prominent places associated with the life of Lord Rama, including Janakpur, the birthplace of Goddess Sita in Nepal.

The 18-day maiden journey of the train from Safdarjung Station will run on the Ramayana Circuit identified under Swadesh Darshan scheme covering Ram Janaki temple in Janakpur located in Nepal among other places covering a distance of around 8,000 kilometres.

The railways had announced the Bharat Gaurav scheme in November last year to tap the huge potential of tourism in the country by running theme-based tourist circuit trains, on the lines of the Ramayana Express, which can be run either by private or state-owned operators.

According to the itinerary, the proposed 18-day Bharat Gaurav Tourist AC train tour has its first stop at Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, where tourists will visit Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple and Hanuman temple and additionally Bharat Mandir at Nandigram.

After Ayodhya, the next destination is Buxar where the tourists will be shown the hermitage of Maharishi Vishwamitra and the Ramrekha Ghat where the guests can take a holy dip in the Ganges.

From here the train moves to Sitamarhi to visit Sita's birthplace and proceeds by road to Janakpur (Nepal).

Tourists will stay overnight at hotels in Janakpur and visit the famous Ram-Janaki Temple in Janakpur.

After completion of Sitamarhi visit, the train proceeds to the oldest living city of the world, Varanasi. While at Kashi, tourists will walk around the temples at Varanasi Sita Samahit Sthal, Prayag, Shringverpur and Chitrakoot will be covered by road. Night stay at hotels will be provided at Varanasi, Prayag and Chitrakoot.

The train journey on the next leg moves to Nasik for overnight stay at hotels. Visit to Trimbakeshwar temple and Panchavati will be covered.

Next destination after Nasik is the visit to the ancient city of Krishkindha, Hampi with overnight stay at hotels. Here the guests will visit the temple believed to be the birth place of Sri Hanuman atop the Anjanadri Hills and other heritage and religious sites.

Rameshwaram is the next destination of this train tour wherein Ramanathaswamy temple and Dhanushkodi will be covered along with overnight stay at hotels. The next destination is Kanchipuram where Shiv Kanchi, Vishnu Kanchi and Kamakshi temples are on the itinerary. From here, the last destination in this tour is Bhadrachalam in Telangana state which is also widely referred to as the Ayodhya of the south.

After this, the train will return to Delhi on the 18th day of its journey, covering a distance of around 8,000 km.This fully air-conditioned tourist train will comprise 11 3-AC coaches and a pantry car. Freshly cooked vegetarian meals will be served on board to the guests in their respective seats from the well-equipped modern pantry car. The train has also been fitted with an infotainment system for entertainment as well as for public announcements. Clean toilets and enhanced security features like CCTV cameras and security guards for each coach have been provided for the tourists.

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 62,370 per person, the IRCTC tourist train will be an 18-day all-inclusive tour package. IRCTC will take all necessary precautionary measures to ensure a safe, healthy and memorable travel.