From Pune to South India’s Famous Temples: IRCTC Announces Special Tour
Pune/Mumbai, 9th November 2026: Passengers from Pune can board the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation’s (IRCTC) Bharat Gaurav Special Tourist Train for an 11-night, 12-day South India tour beginning from Mumbai on January 18, 2027.
Themed ‘Temple Trails of Dakshin’, the tour will cover major pilgrimage centres and tourist destinations across Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The train will also provide boarding and deboarding facilities at Pune, along with CSMT, Thane, Kalyan, Lonavala, Satara, Miraj and Belagavi.
The itinerary includes Gokarna, Murudeshwar, Guruvayur, Rameswaram, Madurai, Kanniyakumari, Tiruchirappalli, Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram.
Major attractions include Mahabaleshwar Temple and Om Beach at Gokarna, Murudeshwar Shiva Temple, Guruvayur Temple, Ramanathaswamy Temple and Dhanushkodi at Rameswaram, Meenakshi Temple at Madurai and Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanniyakumari.
The tour will also cover Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and Thanjavur Temple, along with Kamakshi Amman Temple, Ekambareshwarar Temple and Varadharaja Perumal Temple in Kanchipuram. In Mahabalipuram, passengers will visit the Shore Temple and Krishna’s Butterball.
Tour Package Cost
IRCTC has announced the following per-person package rates:
Economy (Sleeper Class): Rs 20,420
Standard (3AC): Rs 32,770
Comfort (2AC): Rs 42,940
Special package rates are also available for children aged five to 11 years.
The package includes train travel, accommodation, vegetarian meals, sightseeing and transfers by buses, travel insurance, security arrangements and applicable taxes.
Speaking about the tour, Gaurav Jha, Group General Manager, IRCTC West Zone, Mumbai, said, “The ‘Temple Trails of Dakshin’ Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train has been thoughtfully designed to provide passengers with a comfortable and enriching opportunity to explore the magnificent spiritual and cultural heritage of South India. Through these specially curated rail tourism packages, IRCTC aims to make pilgrimage and tourism accessible, convenient and affordable for travellers.”
Indian Railways is providing an approximately 33 per cent concession under the Bharat Gaurav Train scheme to promote rail tourism. The announced package rates are inclusive of this concession.
For bookings and further information, passengers can contact the IRCTC Tourism Office, West Zone, Mumbai, at 8287931886 (phone/WhatsApp) or email [email protected]. The office is located on the third floor of Forbes Building, Charanjit Rai Marg, Fort, Mumbai – 400001.
