BENGALURU: With the consecretation of the Ram Lalla idol at the Ram temple in Ayodhya now completed, the Hindu Religious Institutions And Charitable Endowments Department is planning to conduct discounted tour packages to Ayodhya on the lines of the Kashi tour.
The department is already organising the Bharat Gaurav Kashi pilgrimage by train at reduced prices. Devotees can visit Kashi and other pilgrim places as part of the tour. The department now plans to include Ayodhya under the scheme.
“People were visiting Ayodhya earlier too, but the temple had not opened. There was also a demand for tour packages to Gaya in Bihar and we have extended it. Now, because of the cold conditions in the north, the train is going towards Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram and other south Indian locations. By March, Kashi, Ayodhya and other pilgrim centres will be included in the itinerary”, Muzrai Minister Ramalinga Reddy said.
The department plans to launch the package tour in another two months and is being seen as a counter to the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha election by the ruling Congress dispensation in the state.
Due to the intense cold conditions prevailing in the north right now, the department plans to launch the Ayodhya visit only in March. Reddy said it is being introduced in view of the demand and added that Ayodhya will be added to the itinerary.