Jaipur, March 31 Rajasthan Devasthan Minister Joraram Kumawat launched a special train to Rameswaram-Madurai at the Durgapura railway station here on Tuesday under the Senior Citizen Pilgrimage Scheme 2025-26.
Speaking at the event organized by the Devasthan Department, Kumawat interacted with senior citizens and said this was the final train under the 2025-26 budget announcement, as the financial year was coming to a close.
A total of 990 senior citizens from Jaipur, Kota, and Bharatpur divisions embarked on the pilgrimage, according to a statement.
According to officials, 400 passengers boarded the train from Durgapura, 120 from Sawai Madhopur, and 470 from the Kota railway station.
The train is scheduled to arrive in Rameswaram on April 2, where it will stop for a day. During their stay, pilgrims will be taken to the Ramanathaswamy temple, one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites, along with Jyotirlinga and Mani darshan. They will also visit Dhanushkodi to see the floating stones associated with Ram Setu, the statement said.
The next day, they will travel to Madurai, where they will visit the Meenakshi Temple. The train will then return to Jaipur on April 7, according to officials.
Kumawat said that under the 2025-26 budget announcement, around 50,000 senior citizens have been taken on pilgrimages across the country through 56 trains until March 2026.
He added that about 6,000 senior citizens have also been taken for darshan to Pashupatinath in Kathmandu, Nepal, through 83 flights under the scheme.
The minister said that officials have been directed to initiate preparations, including online applications, for the Senior Citizen Pilgrimage Scheme 2026-27. Several officials and public representatives were present at the event, the statement added.