New Delhi, Apr 14: Minister of Tourism, Culture and DONER, G.K Reddy on Friday flagged off the special Bharat Gaurav Tourist train to mark the birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar from Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station. here.
IRCTC in association with the Ministry of Tourism is operating its first 8-day special tour, connecting the prominent places associated with the life of Bhim Rao Ambedkar and Buddhist heritage to give a holistic experience to the tourists about India’s cultural Heritage .
During the 8-day tour, the train will cover cities including, New Delhi, Mhow, Nagpur Varanasi and sacred Buddhist sites like Sanchi, Sarnath, Gayaand Rajgir and Nalanda.
The train, with ten AC III passenger coaches, has the capacity to accommodate a total of 600 tourists, out of which 380 seats are booked for this journey.
The tourists have the option to board and deboard the train at Hazart Nizamuddin, Mathura and Agra Cantt stations in the tour.
The train has been fitted with an infotainment system for the entertainment of the passenger as well as for public announcements.
The train has enhanced security features like CCTV cameras, electronic safes, and dedicated guards appointed for each coach.
Speaking on the occasion, Reddy said that Bharat Gaurav Tourist train aims to give glimpses of the life of Bharat Ratna Baba Saheb Ambedkar to the passengers.
“The train also aims to promote domestic tourism and the spirit of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat” he said.
He also informed that government under the leadership of Narendra Modi has developed the sites related to Babasaheb Ambedkar not only in India but also in London.
The Ministry of tourism in a statement said the Tourist train first halted at New Delhi Railway Station from where tourists were taken to Baba Saheb Ambedkar Memorial by buses in New Delhi.
The next stop of the train will be at Dr. Ambedkar Nagar (Mhow), the birthplace of Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar (Bhim Janam Bhoomi).
Then the train moves to Nagpur railway station where tourists proceed to visit Deekshabhoomi, a consecrated monument of Navayana Buddhism. The train departs from Nagpur for Sanchi.
The sightseeing of Sanchi comprises of the eponymous stupa and other Buddhist sites. After Sanchi, Varanasi is the next destination.
The visit of Sarnath & Kashi Vishwanath Temple will be a part of the day’s sightseeing.
Gaya is the next and the last destination that the train arrives at, on the 6th day of the journey.
The holy site of Bodhgaya is where the tourists visit the famous Mahabodhi Temple and other monasteries.
The next day the tourists proceed for sightseeing of Rajgir and Nalanda by road. Buddhist sites and the ruins at Nalanda are the key sites at the destination.
The train will depart from Gaya for New Delhi as the tour comes to an end.
The Ministry of Railways has launched Bharat Gaurav Trains initiatives in February 2021 with the objective to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places to the people of India and the world.
The theme based tourist circuit trains, Bharat Gaurav is in line with the government of India initiative “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat” and DekhoApnaDesh to promote domestic tourism.
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