INDIA, March 22, 2017 (Press Information Bureau): Aastha Circuit trains covering various religious places commenced operation on March 17, 2017. They offer all-inclusive tour packages with different itineraries of varying duration, decided by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. Tours are announced and booked through IRCTC tourism portal www.irctctourism.com. The first 6 nights/7 days itinerary started from Guwahati on February 17, 2017 covered Kolkata, Puri and Bhubaneswar and the second 10 nights/11 days itinerary, which started from Darbhanga on March 20, 2017, plans to cover Bhubaneswar, Tirupati, Kanyakumari, Trivandrum, Rameshwaram and Madurai, with several boarding/de-boarding points enroute.
The Astha Special Tourist Train “West India – Jyotirlinga Special Tour” includes an 8 night/9 day itinerary for a cost of US$127 in a second class sleeper coach with stops in Dwarka, Mahakaleshwar, Nageshwar, Omkareshwar and Somnath.
The package includes:
Hall accommodation at places of night stay/morning freshening up.
Pure vegetarian meals.
Non AC Tourist buses for visiting sightseeing spots.
Tour escorts for announcements and information.
Security arrangements for each coach.
An IRCTC Official on train as train Superintendent.
For more detailed information and a list of scheduled tours, see:
https://www.irctctourism.com/cgi-bin/dev1.dll/irctc/booking/vatplanner.do?screen=fromCity&Submit=Search&frompackage=true&cityName=0&bhTirth=&packageCategory=AASTHA&submitClicks=0&categoryName=AASTHA&destinationCity=&packageCity=0
HPI Note: Hinduism Today is planning a story on these train pilgrimages, and if you’ve been on one, we’d like to hear from you. Contact ar@hindu.org.