The historical attacks on India’s cultural and religious heritage and highlighted that many such sites have been destroyed by the invaders. However, he complimented Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his efforts in protecting and developing these cultural centres. By taking inspiration from PM Modi’s initiatives, the Rajasthan government is concentrating on developing faith centres and planning pilgrimage trips, especially for senior citizens. The Rajasthan CM expressed his satisfaction with the Senior Citizen Tirth Yatra Yojana, where people will be able to go for spiritual tours that they were not able to go to because of financial or other obstacles.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma flagged off a pilgrimage special train from Jaipur to Madurai and Rameswaram on Monday. On the occasion, CM Sharma said that visiting pilgrimage sites gives peace to the mind and infuses new energy and positivity.
Under the state government’s Senior Citizen Pilgrimage Scheme, the special train was flagged off from Durgapura Railway Station. “Our country was attacked many times by invaders who destroyed our cultural and religious heritage.
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has protected and developed our cultural centres. Under his leadership, India’s centuries-old dream of building a grand temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya has been fulfilled.
Our cultural heritage has also been strengthened by unprecedented works like the construction of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi and Mahakal Lok in Ujjain,” the CM said CM Sharma further said that taking inspiration from the Prime Minister, the state government is doing works like the development of shrines and organising pilgrimages for senior citizens.
“At the start of this year, about 3000 pilgrims were taken to Ayodhya for the darshan of Shri Ram Lalla. Under the Senior Citizen Pilgrimage Scheme, this year, 15000 pilgrims will be taken to Ayodhya and equal number of pilgrims will be taken to other pilgrimage sites, which include Rameswaram-Madurai, Jagannathpuri, Tirupati, Dwarkapuri-Somnath, Vaishno Devi-Amritsar, Prayagraj-Varanasi, Mathura-Vrindavan-Barsana, Ujjain-Omkareshwar-Trimbakeshwar (Nashik), Gangasagar (Kolkata) and others. Also, 6000 pilgrims will be taken on pilgrimage to Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu (Nepal) by air,” he added.
CM Sharma said that the state government will make all the arrangements for these pilgrims, including transportation, food, and accommodation, at an estimated expenditure of about Rs 80 crore.
About 780 senior citizens of Jaipur, Dausa, Sawai Madhopur, and Kota districts are travelling in the special train that left for a seven-day journey from Jaipur to Madurai and Rameshwaram. In this pilgrimage, two government employees have been deputed in every coach to care for the passengers. Also, a doctor, two nursing officers, and security personnel are on the train to ensure the health and safety of the passengers.
All about the pilgrimage tour
The government has organized a pilgrimage tour to Ayodhya for around 3,000 devotees to visit the Shri Ram Temple earlier this year. Sharma further explained that under the same scheme, a total of 36,000 pilgrims will participate in upcoming tours in 2024. Around 15,000 will travel to Ayodhya and another 15,000 will embark for other religious places. Moreover, 6,000 pilgrims will be sent off to Nepal to visit Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. All the expenses related to accommodation, transportation, and food which are expected to cost around Rs 80 crore will be borne by the state government.
Meanwhile, the Devasthan Minister Joraram Kumawat also commented at the event, highlighting the government’s commitment to preserving and enhancing religious and cultural heritage. He also stated that a provision for the development of major religious and pilgrimage sites was also announced in the state budget. An allocation of Rs 13 crore has been sanctioned for decorating 600 temples in the states during the festival.