Kolkata, May 21: IRCTC's first Bharat Gaurav tourist train on Saturday embarked on the 'Jyotirlinga Yatra' from Kolkata railway station. The special tourist train shall cover five Jyotirlingas--Omkareshwar, Mahakaleshwar, Somnath, Nageshwar and Trimbakeshwar along with the Statue of Unity, Shirdi Sai Baba and Shani Shingnapur, said Eastern Railway official.

The train commenced the spiritual journey on Saturday from Kolkata station. It will continue the pilgrim experience for 11 nights and 12 days, added the official. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to Flag off Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train to Showcase Heritage of Gujarat.

On April 29, Union Minister For Culture, Tourism And Development Of North Eastern Region, Kishan Reddy flagged off the "Ganga Pushkarala Yatra: Puri - Kasi - Ayodhya" Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train from Secunderabad Railway Station.

The train was flagged off from Platform No.10. SCR General Manager, Arun Kumar Jain along with other IRCTC and railway officials joined the minister at the flag-off.

Speaking to ANI, Union Minister Kishan Reddy said, "We received many requests to allot special trains for Ganga Pushkarala. However, we decided to introduce Bharat Gaurav trains." First Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train to Start from Hyderabad on March 18.  

The Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train launch is in line with the Government of India initiative of "Dekho Apna Desh" to promote domestic tourism.

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