The Managing Director of Himachal Roadways, Mr Rohan Thakur, and the leader of Kangra, Mr Nipun Jinal, started a new bus route for religious trips. This bus will take people from Dharamshala to the holy places of Chintpurni and Jawalamukhi. It is great news for people who want to visit these Religious places. This bus will help them make their spiritual journey in the beautiful landscape Himachal Pradesh area.
The Deputy Chief Minister, Mukesh Agnihotri, announced that they plan to revamp the routes to religious places. They aim to identify about 100 routes for HRTC buses as part of the darshan scheme. This means they want to make it easier for people to visit various religious destinations by improving the bus routes and services. It is a way to make the journey to these sacred places more convenient for pilgrims and travellers.
Another bus service is set to begin on October 23, taking people from Chintpurni Mata to Khatushyam in Rajasthan. Mr Thakur mentioned that they have plans to introduce buses on more routes like these in the near future. This means more people will have the opportunity to travel to different places of worship and enjoy these convenient bus services.
They have two strategies in mind. Firstly, they want to introduce new bus routes to various destinations. Secondly, they plan to promote existing routes such as Shimla to Amritsar, Shimla to Chintpurni, and Shimla to Hatkoti temple. These routes are already available, but they aim to make more people aware of them. Over 1.5 crore people visit Chintpurni and Jawalamukhi temples each year, and their goal is to offer these travellers comfortable and budget-friendly travel options. So, they're working to make the journey to these holy places easier for everyone.
The bus service has a set schedule. It begins its journey from Dharamshala at 8 a.m., and by 10:30 a.m., it reaches Chintpurni Mata Temple. After that, it heads to Jawalamukhi Temple and arrives there at 2 pm. The bus then returns to Dharamshala, reaching back at 5:30 pm. People can book their seats for this journey, and the booking window opens on Thursday, so travellers can secure their spots for this convenient trip.
The day-long tour in the comfortable 3X2 AC bus will cost ?400 per person. This package includes a darshan (visit) to Jawalamukhi temple and what's known as 'sugam darshan' at Chintpurni. Sugam Darshan is a special arrangement where a pass is issued to an individual for ?220, allowing them to have a VIP darshan experience. This means they won't have to wait in the regular line for the darshan. However, please note that only a maximum of 500 such passes are issued each day, so it is a limited and special service for those who prefer a quicker and more comfortable visit.
Himachal Pradesh is home to numerous ancient temples and is known for being the location of five important Shakti Peethas, which include Chintpurni, Barjeshwari Mata, Chamunda Devi, Naina Devi, and Jawalamukhi Maha Shaktipeeth. These holy places attract a large number of devotees throughout the year, with hundreds of thousands of people making pilgrimages to these sacred sites.