India to run spl train to Nepal's Janakpur for Ayodhya-bound devotees

KATHMANDU: India would be operating a special train to Nepal’s Janakpur, the birthplace of Sita, to bring Lord Ram devotees to Ayodhya on the occasion of Ram Mandir inauguration on January 22 in the Himalayan nation’s neighbouring Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

An official said here on Saturday that the Indian government would send a dedicated train to Nepal to bring the devotees even as thousands of people from Nepal have already left for Ayodhya. Nepal, a landlocked country, is one of the Hindu-majority nations, besides India.

The devotees will travel through the Jaynagar-Janakpur railway route, the only cross-border rail connection between Nepal and India that was laid with Indian assistance.

The Indian Railways would send a train having 20 coaches.

According to officials, the special train will leave for Ayodhya from Janakpur on Sunday, said Niranjan Jha, General Manager at Nepal Railway Company Limited.

There is a huge excitement among the devotees in Nepal over Pran Prastishtha ceremony.

Thousands of Hindu devotees from Nepal are expected to attend the ceremony on Monday.

Several cities in Nepal have urged the local residents to celebrate the day with “Deepoustav”. Authorities in some cities also banned selling alcohol and non-vegetable food items, among others, on Monday.

The Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had sent a request to the Indian Embassy to arrange a dedicated railway service for January 22.

The ticket booking for the train opened on Saturday afternoon, Jha said. The special rail would leave for Ayodhya on early Sunday morning. The fare would be borne by the devotees.

Jha said one has to pay Rs 3,000 (Nepalese Rupees/ NPR), around INR 1,882, to travel in Second AC coaches, NPR 2,000 (INR 1254.29) for Third AC coaches, and NPR 1,000 (INR 627.14) for sleeper class tickets.

The train fair was reduced at the request of the devotees, he said, adding the train will return on Monday night at 11 p.m. from Ayodhya after Pran Prastishtha ceremony.

Meanwhile, Mahant Ram Roshan Das, the successor of the Janaki Temple in Janakpur, has requested Chief Minister Saroj Kumar Yadav of Madhesh Province to announce a public holiday in Madhesh on the day of the inauguration of Ram Mandir.

Mahant Ram Roshan has also submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Yadav demanding a public holiday on Monday.