As part of Indian Railways’ Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train service, the Chennai-based Tour Times for the third consecutive year will run the Adi Amavasya Special Shakthi Peeth Yatra from south.

The 14-day spiritual journey will commence from Madurai on July 14 and cover various destinations, including Kamakhya in Guwahati, said G Vignesh, Director, South Star Rail, Tour Times, the private operator running the service.

The tour will also cover destinations such as Puri, Kolkata, Gaya, Kasi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj, he told newspersons. Tourists can embark on the sacred journey from Tamil Nadu’s various locations like Palani, Erode, Salem, Katpadi and Perambur, he added.

The journey will include the offering of ‘Pind daan’ (a Hindu ritual where offerings made to the souls of deceased ancestors) on the auspicious occasion of Adi Ammavasya at Gaya, he said.

The all inclusive fare will be ₹27,000 for sleeper class; ₹44,050 for AC 3-tier; ₹53,500 for AC-2 tier and ₹59,750 for AC-1 tier, he said. Bookings can be done at www.tourtimes.in, he added.

On July 14 the company will also operate the Eastern Delight tour, a leisure package covering the Eastern region. The tour will cover Gangtok, Darjeeling, Bhubaneswar, Konark and Kolkata.

B Venkatasubramanian, Deputy Chief Commercial Manager, Passenger Services for Principal Chief Commercial Manager, Southern Railways (SR), said it would be the 87th tourist train to be operated in SR under the Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train scheme, which was launched in 2022. So far, 47,000 tourists have travelled so far, he said.

Published on June 20, 2025