Indian Railways Announce 12 Special Trains For Shravani Mela Rush: Check Routes

The Indian Railways will run 12 pairs of special trains to handle the expected rush of pilgrims travelling to Deoghar for the month-long Shravani Mela, which begins on July 30. The special train services will help devotees, especially kanwariyas, reach Baba Baidyanath Temple and other nearby pilgrimage centres smoothly. The trains, as per a report by TOI, will connect major destinations in Bihar, Jharkhand, and neighbouring states with Deoghar.

According to East Central Railway (ECR) chief public relations officer (CPRO) Saraswati Chandra, several special trains will operate during the fair period. The Jaynagar-Asansol special train will run from July 31 to August 31. The Raxaul-Deoghar special will operate from July 31 to August 30 and will leave Raxaul every Sunday, Tuesday and Saturday.

The Raghopur-Deoghar special train has been scheduled from July 28 to August 31 and will run daily. The Danapur-Sahibganj special will operate from August 2 to August 30, departing from Danapur every Sunday.

The Patna-Islampur special train, which started on July 26, will continue till September 29, while the Howrah-Natesar special will remain operational till September 30.

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Apart from these services, the railways will also run several other special trains, including Ranchi-Bhagalpur, Itwari-Madhupur, Barhni-Deoghar, Asansol-Gorakhpur, and Patna-Asansol. These trains will operate daily during the mela period.

Shravani Mela is a major Hindu pilgrimage held every year during the holy month of Shravan (Sawan), which usually falls in July and August. The month-long festival is dedicated to Lord Shiva and attracts millions of devotees.

The main attraction of the mela is the Kanwar Yatra. During this journey, devotees called Kanwariyas travel about 105 km on foot from Sultanganj in Bihar to the Baba Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar, Jharkhand.

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Devotees collect holy water from the Ganga River at Sultanganj and carry it in pots tied to bamboo sticks, known as kanwars, placed on their shoulders. The water is then offered at the Baba Baidyanath Temple, one of the most important Shiva temples and a sacred Jyotirlinga site.