Bhubaneswar, Oct 28 Odisha Minister Prithviraj Harichandan on Wednesday flagged off a special train carrying senior citizens to Ayodhya and Varanasi from Bhubaneswar New Railway Station.
A total of 775 pilgrims from six districts of Odisha boarded a special train here to visit Ayodhya and Varanasi as part of the ‘Mukhyamantri Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra’, the state government’s pilgrimage scheme for senior citizens, officials said.
Organised by the Department of Tourism, in collaboration with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the pilgrimage train is carrying 775 senior citizens accompanied by 25 officials to facilitate their journey and provide necessary assistance. The pilgrims are scheduled to return to Odisha on November 2, after visiting the two sacred destinations, they said.
Addressing the gathering, Harichandan extended his best wishes to all the pilgrims and expressed hope that their journey from the sacred lands of Lord Jagannath and Lord Lingaraj to Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi and Shri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya would be spiritually fulfilling.
He noted that the pilgrimage would provide senior citizens with the opportunity to witness the Ganga Aarti, seek the blessings of Lord Kashi Vishwanath and offer prayers at the revered Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya.
The state government has made comprehensive arrangements to ensure a safe, comfortable and well-organised pilgrimage for all participants, the minister added.
The 775 pilgrims participating in the sixth phase include 169 senior citizens from Khurda, 85 from Jagatsinghpur, 197 from Cuttack, 127 from Puri, 108 from Kendrapara and 89 from Dhenkanal.
The Mukhyamantri Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra Yojana, an initiative of the Odisha government, aims to enable senior citizens to undertake pilgrimages to prominent religious destinations across India, officials said.
During the financial year 2026–27, approximately 8,000 senior citizens are scheduled to undertake pilgrimages in 10 phases to destinations including Ayodhya, Varanasi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Rameswaram and Madurai. So far this financial year, about 4,000 senior citizens have visited various pilgrimage destinations under the scheme, they said.
(PTI News)
