PURI: Days after being flagged off by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw from Safdarjung station in New Delhi, the Shri Jagannath Yatra tourist train arrived at Puri railway station on Saturday.The 550 pilgrims who reached the town in the train were accorded a rousing welcome amid chants of ‘Jai Jagannath’ at the railway station. The pilgrims were taken to Sri Jagannath Temple where they had darshan of the Trinity.
They also visited Sun Temple at Konark. They will return to Bhubaneswar and are scheduled to visit Lingaraj temple, Khandagiri and Udayagiri caves and other historical sites on Sunday, said joint manager of IRCTC Kranti Sabarkar.
Before reaching Puri for darshan at Jagannath temple and other sites, the pilgrims visited the ancient holy city of Varanasi and the Baidyanath Dham temple in Jharkhand’s Deoghar. At the first stop at Varanasi, tourists visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, the corridor connecting it and witnessed the ‘aarti’ performed on the banks of the Ganga.
They also went to Jasidih in Jharkhand and visited the Baidyanath Dham Temple. The special train has been conceptualised by the railway minister to facilitate devotees’ visit to important shrines situated in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha.
Gaya in Bihar will be the last destination, where the tourists will visit the Vishnupad temple. The train will return to Delhi on the eighth day of its journey after covering around 4,000 km. Sources said, freshly-cooked vegetarian meals are being served on board.
The train has also been fitted with an infotainment system for the entertainment of the passengers as well as for public announcements along with a prayer hall. It also has enhanced security features of CCTV cameras while guards are deployed in each coach.