Brahmapur: A special pilgrimage train carrying 775 senior citizens from five districts, accompanied by 25 escorts, left Brahmapur railway station for Ayodhya and Varanasi under the Odisha government’s Senior Citizen Pilgrimage Scheme on Friday.
Fisheries and Animal Resources Development and MSME Minister Gokulananda Mallik flagged off the train and wished the pilgrims a safe and fulfilling journey.
Mallik said over 46,000 people from Odisha had visited major pilgrimage centres across the country in the past two years under the scheme. He said the initiative was helping financially disadvantaged senior citizens fulfil their long-cherished desire to visit sacred places.
The pilgrims will visit the Ganga ghats, Shaivite shrines, Ganga Aarti and Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, besides visiting Ayodhya and seeking the blessings of Lord Sri Ram.
Of the 775 pilgrims, 438 are from Ganjam, 119 from Nayagada, 91 from Kandhamala, 72 from Gajapati and 55 from Boudh.
Brahmapur MLA K. Anil Kumar, Chhatrapur MLA Krushna Chandra Nayak and Chikiti MLA Manoranjan Dyan Samantara attended the flag-off ceremony and wished the pilgrims a safe and memorable five-night, six-day journey.
Ganjam Collector V Keerthi Vasan welcomed the pilgrims and urged them to enjoy the spiritual journey while taking care of their health. Senior district officials, including BMC Commissioner A. Sasya Reddy, Brahmapur Sub-Collector Abinash Kumar, IRCTC Regional Manager Anuj Dutta and Tourism Department Additional Secretary Dr Rudra Narayan Das, were present.
The district administration had arranged accommodation, health check-ups, food and other facilities for the pilgrims at Gurukul School near Brahmapur Railway Station. Traditional dance and music performances were also organised at the station as the pilgrims began their journey.
