HASSAN: Shravanabelagola Digambara Jain Mutt, headed by Charukeerthi Bhattaraka swamiji, has urged the Railway Ministry to run special trains to Shravanabelagola during the 81st all India Kannada literary meet to be held from February 1.
The district authority also wrote to the Centre through the state government seeking special trains from Arsikere junction to Shravanabelagola via Hassan for five days.
Special trains will enable people of Bombay Karnataka and Hyderabad-Karnataka regions to attend the literary meet.
It may be recalled that special trains had arrived at Shravanabelagola from Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur and Agra during the 11-day Mahamastakabhisheka, following a request from the Swamiji in 2006.
Trains had also run between Arsikere and Shravanabelagola.
The district authority and the KSP also held the meeting with District Minister H C Mahadevappa who promised to meet Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in this regard.
Sources said the state government has brought the matter to the notice of the Union Railway Minister too.
Currently, the railway authorities run a train having four compartments between Hassan and Shravanabelagola.
It must be noted that earlier, the railways had stopped the train for years following poor response from passengers.
The swamiji said more people will visit Shravanabelagola to attend the literary meet and take darshan of the 58-ft monolithic statue of Gomateshwara.
The railway authorities should increase the frequency of Hassan-Shravanabelagola train, he added.