The South Central Railway (SCR), through the Indian Railways, is giving an opportunity to Sikh pilgrims to visit some famous shrines in India during Baisakhi through the ‘Guru Kripa Yatra’ by the ‘Bharat Gaurav’ tourist train.
The tour, through the IRCTC, has been conceptualised following consultations with various Gurudwara management committees and various Sikh associations.
The 11 days/10 nights all inclusive tour will start from Lucknow on April 5 and end on April 15 that will take pilgrims to places like Sri Kesgarh Sahib Gurudwara and Virasat-e-khalsa in Anandpur Sahib, Gurudwara Sri Patalpuri Sahib in Kiratpur Sahib, Gurudwara Sri Fatehgarh Sahib in Sirhind, Sri Akal Takht Sahib and Sri Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, Sri Damdama Sahib in Bathinda, Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib in Nanded, Gurudwara Sri Guru Nanak Jhira Sahib in Bidar and Gurudwara Sri Harmandarji Sahib in Patna.
The special tourist train can accommodate 678 devotees and has nine sleeper class coaches, one AC-3 Tier and one AC-2 Tier coach, one pantry car and two generator coaches.
IRCTC is offering the tour package under three categories: Standard, Superior and Comfort. Passengers can board/de-board in Lucknow, Sitapur, Pilibhit and Bareilly. The cost of the tour packages starts from ₹19,999 per person.
The tour itinerary is as follows: Lucknow- Sri Kesgarh Sahib (Anandpur)- Sri Kiratpur Sahib - Sri Fatehgarh Sahib - Sri Akal Takht (Amritsar) – Sri Damdama Sahib (Bhatinda) - Sri Hazur Sahib (Nanded) – Shri Guru Nanak Jhira Sahib (Bidar) - Sri Harmandirji Sahib (Patna) – Lucknow.
This all inclusive tour package will essentially include comfortable rail journey in ergonomically designed exclusive coaches, complete on-board and off-board meals, accommodation in quality hotels, road transfers along with sightseeing. The services of tour escorts, travel insurance, on-board security and housekeeping will also be available. The option to take part in ‘langars’ will also be available at important Gurudwaras as well as during the journey.
Bharat Gaurav Tourist trains aim to promote the cultural and religious heritage of India through the fleet on various famous theme-based circuits to showcase the cultural heritage of the nation, informed an official spokesperson.
