Bharat Darshan: 10 All Inclusive Train Tours of India

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Watching your budget yet still want to travel? Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has organized 10 special tourist trains spanning South, North, and Central India beginning December 18, 2011. Entitled Bharat Darshan, these all-inclusive rail packages will take passengers to many of India’s most famous, and special destinations through a mix of religious and historical monuments.

Each package will embark from a different city, many with multiple city pickups, with dates of travel that stretch from Mid-December through Mid- February 2012. These special one-time tourist trains all include:

Hall accommodation at places of night stay/ morning freshening up.
Pure vegetarian meals.
Tourist buses for visiting sightseeing spots.
Tour escorts for announcements and information.
Security arrangements for each coach (without arms).
An IRCTC Official on train as Train Superintendent

Entrance fees to monuments and some other exclusions apply. Be sure to read the fine print on all potential additional fees.

Travel is open to domestic and foreign tourists, and no additional permit or visa requirement is needed for booking. Domestic and foreign travelers can book directly through IRCTC.co.in. Foreign tourists will need an Indian address and contact number for successful booking. Reservations can also be made in person at Indian Railways Tourist Facilitation Centers, Zonal Offices and Regional Offices.

Bharat Darshan 2011-2012 Schedule

Dakshin Bharat Yatra

An 11 night, 12 day rail tour to South India’s most treasured religious sights. Passengers aboard this train will visit:

Shirdi- Sai Mandir Darshan
Sani Signapur- Sani Mandir Darshan
Tirupati- Lord Balaji Darshan
Kanchipuram
Rameswaram- Bathe in Sea and 21 Holy Well, Shiva Temple
Madurai- Sri Meenakshi Temple by walk
Kanyakumari- Visit Kanyakumari by walk, sunrise view, Vivekananda Memorial, sunset view
Trivandrum- Kovalam Beach and temple
Cochin- Cochin Harbor & Alleppey backwaters by cruise and boat (additional expense)

Itinerary Dates	Package Cost	Departure City	Itinerary No
18 December 2011 to 29 December 2011	Rs 6155 (including tax)	Jabalpur	WZBD66

Somnath Darshan

A 10 night, 11 day rail tour to the far reaches of Western India. Passengers aboard this train will visit:

Jaipur- Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar
Ajmer- Pushkar
Udaipur- Nathdwara and Ek Ling ji
Dwarka- Darshan of Nageshwar Jyotirling, Rukmani Temple, Gopi Talav
Somnath- Somnath Temple
Ahmedabad

Itinerary Dates	Package Cost	Departure City	Itinerary No
25 December 2011 to 4 January 2012	Rs 5643 (including tax)	Chandigarh, Ambala, Delhi, Jaipur	NZBD32R

Kanyaka Parameshwari, Vizag Narasimaswamy Darshan and Hyderabad City Tour

Seven nights, 8 days take passengers aboard this train to:

Tadepalligudam- Darshan of Goddess Sri Vasavi Kannika Parameshwari
Visakapatinam- Darshan of Narasimha Swamy
Annavaram- Darshan of Sathyanarayana Swamy
Bhadrachalam Road- Bathe in River Godavari and darshan of Sri Rama
Hyderabad- Hyderabad city tour
Vijayawada- Bathe in River Krishna and darshan of Goddess Kanagadurga

Itinerary Dates	Package Cost	Departure City	Itinerary No
26 December 2011 to 2 January 2012	Rs 4104 (including tax)	Madurai, Dindigul, Karur, Erode, Salem, Perambur	SZBD80

Dakshin Bharat Yatra

A repeat of the earlier route offered in December 2011. This 11 night, 12 day rail tour will visit the best of South India’s religious sites.

Itinerary Dates	Package Cost	Departure City	Itinerary No
1 January 2012 to 12 January 2012	Rs 6155 (including tax)	Jabalpur	WZBD6

Bharat Sarva Dharma Yatra

Travel to many of South India’s most famous tourist spots with this 10 night, 11 day train tour. Passengers booked on this package will see:

Hyderabad- Trip to Film City or Golgonda Fort
Aurangabad- Trip to Ajanta and Ellora Caves
Sainagar Shirdi- Baba Darshan
Mysore- City Palace, Chamundi Hill, KRS Dam and Brindavan Garden
Bangalore- City tour

Itinerary Dates	Package Cost	Departure City	Itinerary No
4 January 2012 to 14 January 2012	Rs 5650 (including tax)	Madurai, Trivandrum, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Shornur, Palakkad, Podanur, Erode	SZBD81

Dakshin Bharat Yatra Ex. Chandigarh

North Indians and tourists visiting this region will have a chance to see a few of South India’s most well respected religious sites with this 11 night, 12 day train package. Passengers aboard this train will see:

Manmad- Visit Shirdi, Shani Singnapur
Renigunta- Tirupati Darshan
Rameshwaram- Swamy Temple
Madurai- Meenakshi Temple
Nagercoil & Kanniyakumari- Kanniyakumari half day sightseeing

Itinerary Dates	Package Cost	Departure City	Itinerary No
7 January 2012 to 18 January 2012	Rs 6156 (including tax)	Chandigarh, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat, Delhi, Jaipur	NZBD33

Shree Jyotirlinga Yatra

The longest and most expensive, yet most exhaustive India train package tour will take passengers on a 17 night, 18 day journey to:

Indore- Omkareshwar
Ujjain- Mahakaleshwar
Dwarka- Dwarka, Nageshwar & Bet Dwarka
Somnath- Somnath Temple
Nasik- Trayambakeshwar
Pune- Bhimashankar
Aurangabad- Ghrishneswar
Kurnool- Mallikarjuna at Shree Salem
Renigunta- Tirupati and Balaji Darshan
Rameshwaram- Shiva Temple
Puri- Jagannath Temple and Konark
Jashidih- Baijnath
Varanasi- Vishwanath Temple

Itinerary Dates	Package Cost	Departure City	Itinerary No
14 January 2012 to 31 January 2012	Rs 9240 (including tax)	Jabalpur	WZBD68

Thai Amavasya Special

Travelers aboard this special tourist train will cover some ground as the tour spans parts through Central and East India. This tour includes more time at Varanasi not covered in previous tours. Destinations visited include:

Puri- Puri Jaganath Temple and Konark Sun Temple
Howrah- Kolkata City Tour: Victoria Memorial, Lighat, Dakshineshwar, Belur Math
Gaya- Pinda Pradhanam, Vishnu Padam
Varanasi- Holy bath in the Ganges. Perform Rituals Visit: Kasi Viswanath Temple, Kasi Visalakshi Temple, Annapoorani Temple, Kalabairavar, Sankada Motcham, Hanuman Mandir by walk
Allahabad- Bathe in Triveni Sangam
Haridwar- Bathe in Ganges, Manasa Devi
Delhi- Delhi City Tour: Qutub Minar, Lotus Temple, India Gate, Indira Memorial, Teen Moorthi Bhavan, Rajghat
Mathura- Krishna Janma Bhoomi
Agra- Taj Mahal, Agra Fort

Itinerary Dates	Package Cost	Departure City	Itinerary No
18 January 2012 to 1 February 2012	Rs 7700 (including tax)	Madurai, Dindugal, Karur, Erode, Salem, Perambur	SZBD82

Dakshin Darshan Via Lucknow

The least attractive of the group, this all-inclusive rail package spends most of the allotted time traveling. Passengers aboard this train will see:

Manmad- Shirdi
Tirupati- Tirupati Darshan
Rameswaram- Ramanatha Swamy Temple
Madurai- Meenakshi Temple
Kanyakumari- Full day sightseeing

Itinerary Dates	Package Cost	Departure City	Itinerary No
22 January 2012 to 2 February 2012	Rs 6156 (including tax)	Delhi, Moradabad, Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Bhopal	NZBD34

Uttar Bharat Darshan

Criss cross Northern India on-board this train tour which lasts 12 nights, 13 days. Places visited include:

Dwarka- Dwarka Temple
Somnath- Somnath Temple
Ujjain- Mahakaleshwar Temple
Mathura- Krishna Janam-Bhumi
Agra- Taj Mahal
Haridwar
Amritsar- Golden Temple, Jalianwala Bagh
Jammu- Mata Vaishnodevi Darshan

Itinerary Dates	Package Cost	Departure City	Itinerary No
5 Februry 2012 to 17 February 2012	Rs 6670 (including tax)	Solapur, Kurudwari, Daund, Pune, Kalyan, Vasai Road, Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad	WZBD69

10 Comments

K.Gayathri Subrahmanyam

on Feb 15, 2012
at 3:40 am

we are staying in hyderabad.How to perform somanath yatra?where to board the train?and when it starts?
pramod kumar dubey

on Mar 20, 2012
at 8:45 am

I WANT TO KNOW THE NEXT SCHEDULE OF DAKSHIN DARSHAN VIA LUCKNOW NZBD34 AFTER MARCH 2012 CAN THIS PLAN WILL BE REPEAT IN FUTURE
Chris Chopp

on Mar 20, 2012
at 9:52 am

Pramod,

There is a repeat of this itinerary (NZBD39) running from 25/3/12 through 5/4/12. Cost is the same Rs 6156. Here is the link: http://www.railtourismindia.com/Trains/BharatDarshan/NZBD39.html?show=det

No other repeats of this itinerary are schedule through June as of now. There are some other tours but not to South India as NZBD34 and NZBD39 offer.
Archit

on Mar 31, 2012
at 11:27 am

i want to go to kashmir under IRCTC, LTC packages tour which is fully reimburseable to govt.employees, in A\C 3 tier,kindly let me know the details of travelling expenses and route covered under this package.
Chris Chopp

on Mar 31, 2012
at 6:43 pm

Hi Archit,

I am not affiliated with IRCTC so you’ll need to research this tour at IRCTC.co.in.
john

on Apr 09, 2012
at 1:37 pm

i want to do complete jyothirlinga yatra i stay at hyderabad, so how should i board the train so that i should not miss any jyothirlinga temple
HARIDAS NAIR

on Oct 25, 2012
at 8:06 am

You are showing tours performed during January and February in October 20112 in your web site. what for? showing your inefficiency? After that you have not performed any tour programme. If you have any intention to start any pilgrimage/bharat darshan starting from Kerala please let me know. – Hari Das Nair.
Chris Chopp

on Oct 28, 2012
at 9:52 am

Hari Das,

Full Stop India is a travel site for tourists interested in traveling the country. It is not a travel agency, nor do I profess to be a travel agent, but rather a guide for others who wish to explore India. This post was timely when published. It showed the various Bharat Darshan tours at the time. Given that I am not involved first hand with any of these tours the inefficiency you speak of is on your part, not mine. Current BD tours can easily be found by visiting IRCTC.co.in. It’s that simple.
Ramesh Chandra Sahu

on Nov 01, 2012
at 2:53 am

Dear Sir,
Please advise whether any package tour available to visit from Bhubaneswar to Delhi-Agra-Mathura-Haridwar-Hrishikesh-Siridi Sai & back to Bhubaneswar during Sept-Oct2013 for 4 persons.
Chris Chopp

on Nov 06, 2012
at 10:48 am

Ramesh,

Please refer directly to the IRCTC.co.in website for the most recent Bharat Darshan tours