Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha recently expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for organising special trains for the people of Tripura who are traveling to Ayodhya.
Manik on Tuesday flagged off Indian Railways third Aastha Special train from Tripura’s Agartala railway station. CM Saha also interacted with some of the pilgrims on board and wished them a safe and happy journey.
In his address, CM Saha highlighted the importance of the inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, a moment that people had been waiting for 500 years. He mentioned that many people from Tripura, and even some from Dharmanagar, had already visited Ayodhya for the darshan of Lord Ram.
“Cabinet ministers will also visit Ayodhya in the first week of March”, Saha said.
CM Saha expressed gratitude to PM Modi for arranging the special trains, which have made it possible for people to travel to Ayodhya for darshan of Ram Lalla. He urged the pilgrims to pray for the well-being of the state and its people. The ceremony was attended by BJP state president Rajib Bhattacharya, MLAs Kishore Barman, and Tofajjal Hossain.
What is Indian Railways Aastha Special Train initiative?
The Indian Railways has been operating more than 200 Aastha special trains from various cities and towns across India to Ayodhya. Each train has 20 sleeper coaches and can accommodate approximately 1,400 people.
This initiative has been well-received by devotees who are eager to visit the newly-built Ram Mandir and seek blessings from Lord Ram.
After the historic Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla on January 22nd, the Indian Railways started ‘Aastha Special Trains’ to ensure the comfort and well-being of devotees throughout their sacred journey.
The first Aastha Special Train departed from Secunderabad Railway Station on February 5, carrying the first group of 1,346 devotees.