Uttarakhand to run special train for temple visits from Mumbai in Oct

According to Sachin Kurve, Secretary Tourism and CEO, UTDB the aim of this project is to provide connectivity from different parts of the country to Uttarakhand.

The itinerary of Manaskhand Express covers a mix of popular and lesser-known destinations of the state over a period of 7-10 days including train travel, meals on train, road travel within Uttarakhand, sightseeing, accommodation and meals in hotels or homestays. During the train journey as well as at various destinations, guests are offered local delicacies with an aim to promote the cuisine of Uttarakhand.

The first two trips started from Pune. The guests visited Punagiri Temple, Nanakmatta Gurudwara, Tea Garden at Champawat, Haat Kalika Temple, Patal Bhuvneshwar Temple, Jageshwar Temple, Golu Devta Temple, Kainchi Dham, Nanda Devi Temple, Kasar Devi Temple, Sun Temple Katarmal and Naina Devi Temple.

To promote Shri Kartik Swami Temple at Rudraprayag, a trip was launched in June, 2024 from Madurai. This trip included a visit to Rishikesh, Badrinath and Kedarnath along with Shri Kartik Swami Temple.

AFter the encouraging response, the tourism department launched a trip called “Pitr Chaya Express : A trip dedicated to our ancestors” covering Haridwar, Rishikesh, Panch Prayag and Badrinath. The tradition of offering “Tarpan” to our ancestors during the Shradh (PitrPaksh) period is of significant importance to Hindus.

The Pitr Chaya Express, starting from Pune, gives an opportunity to the visitors to offer Tarpan at Haridwar and the five Prayag’s (confluence) which lead to the formation of Holy Ganga and finally at Brahm Kapal near Badrinath. The bookings for the special trips have started at http://www.irctctourism.com/bharatgaurav.