Travellers planning a religious tour across Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat can visit seven Jyotirlingas under IRCTC’s newly introduced “Sapt Jyotirlinga Mahayatra.” The journey will be operated on the Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist Train and will also take passengers to other major religious and heritage sites along the route. Bookings for the tour are now open.
IRCTC Sapt Jyotirlinga Mahayatra key details
–Trip duration: 11 days, covering destinations across Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
–Package price: Starts at Rs 88,810 per person on triple-sharing basis and goes up to Rs 1,34,255 for AC I single occupancy.
–Major pilgrimage destinations: Mahakaleshwar, Nageshwar, Bhimashankar, Omkareshwar, Trimbakeshwar and Grishneshwar Jyotirlingas.
–Package details: Train travel, 3-star hotel accommodation, AC transfers, vegetarian meals, sightseeing, travel insurance and IRCTC tour manager services.
What will the 11-day itinerary include?
The pilgrimage will commence in Ujjain, where travellers will visit the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga near the Shipra river. After an overnight stay, the journey will continue towards Khandwa for a visit to the Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga, situated on the Narmada river.
From Madhya Pradesh, the train will travel overnight to Gujarat.
In Dwarka, the itinerary includes the Dwarkadhish Temple, dedicated to Lord Krishna. After an overnight stay, the group will visit the Rukmini Devi Temple. Travellers will also get to visit Bet Dwarka and Nageshwar before continuing towards Somnath.
At Somnath, the itinerary includes visits to the temple, the nearby Somnath beach and Bhalka Tirth.
Bhimashankar, Nashik and Ellora on Maharashtra itinerary
The Maharashtra leg of the journey will be inclusive of the Bhimashankar temple near Pune.
Travellers will then head to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where the itinerary includes the Kailasa Temple at Ellora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The final leg will take passengers to Nashik. Besides its major Shiva shrine, the itinerary includes Panchavati, which is associated with the Ramayana. After completing the Nashik visit, the train will start its return journey to Delhi.
AC train, onboard restaurants and hotel stays
IRCTC has designed the itinerary by keeping passenger comfort in mind. Instead of requiring travellers to spend consecutive nights aboard the train throughout the journey, the package offers overnight hotel stays at different points.
The Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist Train offers cabins across AC III, AC II and AC I categories. The train also has restaurants serving vegetarian food, dedicated tour managers and enhanced security facilities.
Indian Railways is providing a subsidy of around 33% under the Bharat Gaurav Train scheme, as per the official statement. The subsidy has already been incorporated into the tour price.
How to book IRCTC Sapt Jyotirlinga Mahayatra
Bookings are available through the IRCTC Tourism portal as well as authorised IRCTC tourism offices across the country. Travellers can check the detailed itinerary and booking details on IRCTC Tourism’s Bharat Gaurav portal.