Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan kickstarted the Sambalpur-Darshan Nagar-Sambalpur Astha Special train on Tuesday, ferrying 1,512 devotees from the western region of Odisha to Ayodhya. The train departed from Sambalpur station with scheduled stops at Rourkela and Jharsuguda before heading to Jharkhand. The devotees are set to arrive in Ayodhya on Wednesday and will return to Odisha the following day.
Speaking to the media during the event, Minister Pradhan expressed his delight at the high spirits among the devotees. He attributed this enthusiasm to the recent installation of the idol of Ram Lalla in the newly inaugurated Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Pradhan also extended his gratitude to the Railways for providing a train equipped with 20 sleeper coaches, facilitating the devotees from western Odisha to visit and pay their respects to Ram Lalla in Ayodhya.
