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Royal Orient
The ''Royal Orient'' is an Indian luxury tourism train that runs between Gujarat and Rajasthan, covering important tourist locations in the two states. Modelled on the ''Palace on Wheels'', India's first luxury tourist train, the train offers tourists a taste of royal luxury while "showcasing the best of Indian culture and heritage". History The train started in 1994-95 as a joint venture of the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat and the Indian Railways. The livery follows a blue scheme to differentiate it from the Palace on Wheels. The train did not do well in the initial years, with passenger occupancy dropping from 25 percent in the first year to 15 percent in subsequent years. However, after an overhaul in 2007, things started looking up and the train started making profits. Facilities There are 13 coaches in the train, named after erstwhile kingdoms of Rajputana. The coaches provide five-star hotel comforts to passengers. Cabins are furnished in a palatial style and have spa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a total route length of . or 83% of all the broad-gauge routes are electrified with 25 kV 50 Hz AC electric traction . In 2020, Indian Railways carried 808.6 crore (8.086 billion) passengers and in 2022, Railways transported 1418.1 million tonnes of freight. It runs 13,169 passenger trains daily, on both long-distance and suburban routes, covering 7,325 stations across India. Mail or Express trains, the most common types of trains, run at an average speed of . Suburban EMUs run at an average speed of . Ordinary passenger trains (incl. mixed) run at an average speed of . The maximum speed of passenger trains varies, with the Vande Bharat Express running at a peak speed of . In the freight segment, IR runs 8,479 trains daily. The a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palitana
Pālītāṇā is a city in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India. It is located 50 km southwest of Bhavnagar city and is a major pilgrimage centre ("shashwat tirth") for Jains. It is first of the two vegetarian cities in the world. History Palitana is associated with Jain legends and history. Ādinātha, the first of the Jain tirthankaras, is said to have meditated on the Shatrunjaya hill, where the Palitana temples were later constructed. The Palitana State was a princely state, founded in 1194. It was one of the major states in Saurashtra, covering 777 km2. In 1921 it had 58,000 inhabitants in 91 villages, generating a 744,416 revenue. In 1656, Shah Jahan's son Murad Baksh (the then Governor of Gujarat) granted the village of Palitana to the prominent Jain merchant Shantidas Jhaveri. The management of the temples was assigned to the Anandji Kalyanji Trust in 1730. After the Second Anglo-Maratha War the Palitaena Kingdom officially declared independence under ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahaparinirvan Express
The ''Mahaparinirvan Express'' is a tourist train which was launched by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on 28 March 2007, to attract Buddhist pilgrims. The train takes passengers on an eight-day, seven-night spiritual tour which visits Buddhist sites across North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central .... History The train gets its name from the Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha. A sacred journey which includes Buddha's visit to various important Buddhist pilgrimage sites, such as Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Varanasi and Kushinagar. Features and Services The Mahaparinirvan Express is operated by Indian Railways using carriages from a Rajdhani Express train. This is a fully air conditioned train offering three different classes of travel (first class ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deccan Odyssey
The ''Deccan Odyssey'' is an Indian luxury train modeled on the ''Palace on Wheels'' and put into service to boost tourism on the Maharashtra route of the Indian Railways. The train, owned by travel company Cox & Kings since 2014, takes visitors on a variety of seven night, eight day trips across Maharashtra. History The ''Deccan Odyssey'' was devised by Indian Railways and the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corp in 2001 in an effort to increase tourism in Maharashtra. Integral Coach Factory started construction in 2002 and finished in 2003. The first trip departed on 16 January 2004 for a week-long maiden trip and was flagged off by Prime Minister Vajpayee. Journeys were suspended the same year, however, due to unprofitability. Service restarted following monsoon season. It was briefly renamed the ''Indian Maharaja-Deccan Odyssey'' under Thomson Cook. The train was not in service for the majority of the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to start running again in October ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fairy Queen
In folklore and literature, the Fairy Queen or Queen of the Fairies is a female ruler of the fairies, sometimes but not always paired with a king. Depending on the work, she may be named or unnamed; Titania and Mab are two frequently used names. Numerous characters, goddesses or folkloric spirits worldwide have been labeled as Fairy Queens. Folklore The Tuatha Dé Danann and Daoine Sidhe of Irish mythology had numerous local kings and queens. Oonagh, Una or Nuala was the wife of Finvarra or Fionnbharr, fairy king of western Ireland, although he frequently took other lovers. She was usually described living with Finvarra in his hill Cnoc Meadha, but was sometimes said to have a separate residence in Cnoc Sidh Una ( Knockshegouna). In one story following the model of the Fairies’ Midwife ( Aarne-Thompson type 476), “Fionnbharr’s wife” (unnamed) is thoughtlessly cursed by a human girl who must then serve as her midwife. Fionnbharr’s wife attempts revenge by giving the g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
