VARANASI: A group of 775 senior citizens began a government organised journey to Varanasi and Ayodhya on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, after a special train was flagged off at Bhubaneswar New Railway Station. The programme includes Kashi Vishwanath and the Ganga Aarti, bringing another organised pilgrimage group to Varanasi's temple and riverfront tourism circuit.
Odisha's Department of Tourism is conducting the trip with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. Twenty five officials are accompanying the travellers, and their return to Odisha is scheduled for Monday, November 2. Reports of the departure do not specify the group's arrival time in Varanasi or a timed programme for the local visits.
Who is travelling to Varanasi
The departure marks the sixth phase of the Mukhyamantri Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra programme for the financial year 2026-27. Officials said the travellers come from six districts. Cuttack accounts for 197 participants, followed by Khordha with 169 and Puri with 127. Kendrapara has 108 participants, Dhenkanal 89 and Jagatsinghpur 85. Those district figures together account for all 775 pilgrims.
Odisha minister Prithviraj Harichandan flagged off the train. Describing the itinerary, he said participants would visit Kashi Vishwanath, attend the Ganga Aarti and also travel to the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya. The announcements establish the destinations, but do not identify the Varanasi hotel, local transport routes or the precise riverfront gathering point.
- Departure: Wednesday, October 28, from Bhubaneswar New Railway Station.
- Group: 775 senior citizens with 25 accompanying officials.
- Destinations: Varanasi and Ayodhya.
- Scheduled return to Odisha: Monday, November 2, 2026.
How the supported journey is organised
The department's official scheme page links the application materials and operational guidelines. The guidelines currently linked there are labelled revised operational guidelines, 2018. They provide background on the programme's responsibilities, rather than a new timetable for this particular group.
Those guidelines assign overall supervision to the Tourism Department and describe the railway catering corporation's role in providing vegetarian food, drinking water, accommodation near destinations, road transport, escorts, guides, travel insurance and medical facilities. District administrations are assigned responsibility for getting selected pilgrims to the starting station and helping them return home after the journey.
The framework also requires identity, address and medical fitness information in applications, together with emergency contact details. It provides for district level scrutiny and selection of applicants. These arrangements explain why the current departure is a coordinated group visit with accompanying officials, rather than an invitation for people in Varanasi to join the train.
Officials described a wider programme of about 8,000 senior citizens travelling in ten phases during 2026-27. Around 4,000 had already visited pilgrimage destinations during the financial year. The stated destinations include Varanasi, Ayodhya, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Rameswaram and Madurai. Those figures describe the whole programme and should not be treated as the number of visitors expected in Varanasi on this train.
The linked guidelines describe the intended beneficiaries as Odisha residents older than 60 and no older than 75 from economically weaker or deprived households, with fitness to undertake the journey. They also allow a married couple to apply together even when one spouse is younger than 60. These are background provisions in the published scheme document; the October 28 departure concerns an already selected group.
What is confirmed for the local visit
The confirmed local elements are the temple visit and the Ganga Aarti. An arrival announcement or detailed itinerary is still needed before a particular date or hour can be attached to those activities. The November 2 return date should therefore not be read as a date for the group's Varanasi arrival.
For earlier reporting from the same visitor circuit, see the river cruise arrival at Ramnagar, Akashdeep observance at Dashashwamedh and earlier ghat silt clearance. Those reports describe separate events and do not establish arrangements for this group.
