Had Buddha been around, he may just have wanted to travel aboard the country’s first Buddhist tourism circuit train, one that’s only recently been launched in India. After all, it is a train that concerns the places of interest that are completely related to the ‘enlightened one.’
In a year where there’s been hardly any dearth where railways are concerned, it’s honestly heartening that the world’s largest democracy has launched a one of a kind train: the Buddhist tourism circuit train in India.
The brand new train has only just made its debut run in the country and it can be said for sure that it’s already set the ball rolling in the corridor for the intrepid Indian traveler.
Here’s all you need to know about the one of a kind Buddhist tourism circuit train.
Across the country’s amazing wonder-scape, there are a number of Buddhist related sites. It was in Varanasi or Kashi where the former prince Siddhartha appeared to give his first-ever discourse upon reaching enlightenment. It was in Bodhgaya, in Bihar where the Siddharth Gautam became Buddha, the enlightened one. The more one traverses from the Central-North of the country toward the eastern leg of the nation, the more these sites increase.
And therefore, those who are passionately into following Buddhism would want nothing as much as the possibility and opportunity of immersing themselves into places that uphold the life and the teachings of the enlightened one. Isn’t it?
To that regard, there could’ve been nothing more rewarding for a Buddha-fan, Buddhist or wannabe Buddhism follower to be aboard a magical train journey that endears itself to the various Buddhist sites dispersed in the different parts of the country.
Speaking on the current development with greater elaboration, the revered national print daily, The Times of India carried forward an interesting news piece:
Indian Railways on Saturday flagged off a new deluxe train flagged off a new deluxe train for Buddhist pilgrims, called the Buddhist circuit tourist train.
The Times of India also shared the itinerary of the current train and boy, must it be said, it is indeed delightful:
It will traverse through the Buddhism sites in India such as Bodh Gaya, Rajgir (Nalanda), Varanasi (Sarnath), Lumbini, Kushinagar, Sravasti. And that is not all. At the end of this detailed Buddhist journey, the train is going to come to a halt at a place that is almost like a beacon of enlightenment for the ones in love. Where else could that be other than Agra, in the heart of Uttar Pradesh?
It just had to be Agra, in fact, if you thought about it.
Who wouldn’t want to see such a brilliant destination, among the finest in the whole of a 29 statewide India?
In fact, this current development- more like a national news right now in India- is interesting both from a railway as well as a tourism perspective for the simple reason because the brand new train comes within months of the Indian Railways having launched Shri Ramayana Express, a journey that covers various destinations associated with the life of Lord Rama, the central monument of the Ramayana.