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Delhi Flags Off State-Funded Somnath Yatra for 1,400 Pilgrims

The state-funded trip underscores a coordinated bid to link public services to a story of 'unbroken faith'.

Overview

  • A special train, flagged off Thursday from Delhi's Safdarjung station, is carrying about 1,400 pilgrims to Gujarat's Somnath Temple.
  • The Delhi government is paying for rail travel and meals, while the Gujarat government is providing lodging, local transport, and temple access.
  • The 19-coach AC 3-tier train has two team leaders per coach, onboard doctors, housekeeping staff, and Railway Protection Force security.
  • Pilgrims are due to stay near Somnath from May 1 to 3 and are scheduled to return to Delhi on May 5.
  • Officials cast the yatra as marking 1,000 years of 'unbroken faith' after the shrine’s 11th-century attack, with similar trips in other states and echoes of Delhi’s earlier Teerth Yatra program.