Kathmandu, Jun 21 (IANS): The inaugural Bharat Gaurav tourist train connecting destinations associated with the Ramayana Circuit in India and Nepal was flagged off from the Safdarjung railway station in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw and Tourism Minister G. Kishan Reddy jointly flagged off the train that will travel to several pilgrim sites related to Lord Ram in India and Nepal.
The train carrying 500 Indian tourists will arrive at the Janakpur Dham railway station in Nepal on Thursday.
It is the first train that will cross the international border and promote tourism in a more holistic manner.
"The train operating on the Ramayana Circuit will also cover the religious destination of Janakpur (Nepal) for the first time in addition to other popular destinations such as Ayodhya, Nandigram, Sitamarhui, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Chitrakoot, Panchvati (Nasik), Hampi, Rameshwaram and Bhadrachalam," said the Indian Embassy here.
Every coach of the train has been designed as a kaleidoscope of 'Pride of India' highlighting the various facets of India such as monuments, cuisines, attires, festivals, flora and fauna, folk art etc.
Nepal and India had long ago agreed to build the Ramayana Circuit in order to promote the Hindu religion.
The Ramayana Circuit is one of the 15 thematic circuits identified for development under the Swadesh Darshan scheme of the Ministry of Tourism of India.
During the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Janakpur in May 2018, Modi and former Prime Minister of Nepal K.P. Oli had jointly flagged off a passenger bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhya, which lies in Uttar Pradesh. It was first official connection between Nepal and India under the scheme.
"Promoting theme-based tourism and highlighting the various UNESCO world heritage sites as well as modern architectural marvels of India, the exterior of a number of coaches are wrapped with images of structures dating from the Buddhist era, Mughal era, and modern structures like the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, and the National War Memorial in Delhi," said the Indian Embassy, adding that two coaches of the train are exclusively dedicated to yoga, which in recent years has been popularised throughout the world .
The train has 14 coaches and the exteriors of some of the coaches also promote various classical and folk dance forms, attires, popular festivals, delicacies of the country, the Embassy added.