22. September 2010 02:47
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (“IRCTC”) have introduced Bharat Darshan, a special pilgrimage train from next month taking tourists through various religious and pilgrim centers within North India over a period of 14 Days.
The Bharat Darshan train includes a trip to various North Indian places like Shirdi in Maharashtra , Varanasi, Gaya, Allahabad, Haridwar, Delhi, Mathura and Agra.
"As these places are situated in different parts of the country, people find it difficult to visit all these places at one go even if they want to. Therefore, this venture is expected to meet the aspirations of such people," said the Zonal Tourism Officer of IRCTC, Puneet Saxena.
The Train for Bharat Darshan will start south, from Bangalore (Karnataka) and travel north via Secundrabad in Andhra Pardesh and Shirdi in Maharashtra. It can accommodate upto 45 people. Currently it is planned as a one time journey, however the response to the train will help IRCTC decide to make it a regular feature in every 3 months.
Per person ticket cost for Bharat Darshan is Rs. 7,695. This cost includes sleeper class journey, transportation for sightseeing, South Indian vegetarian food and lodging in halls. In case any person wishes to make other arrangements for lodging and boarding, the same has to be done at their own cost.
The train embarks October this Year.