The first Aastha train, carrying 2000 pilgrims, departs Goa for Ayodhya

NORTH GOA: On Monday, the first Aastha train from Goa departed for Ayodhya, carrying around 2000 people.
Goa’s Chief Minister, Pramod Sawant, along with local leaders and the party’s state president, Rajya Sabha MP, were there to say goodbye.

The entire Goa Cabinet of Ministers will visit Ram Mandir on February 15, according to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, in an interview with ANI.
“Goa to Ayodhya’s first Astha train has started its journey. This train has been arranged by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for all Goans traveling to Ayodhya. Along with our local leaders and the state president of our party, Rajya Sabha MP, I am here to say goodbye to the train passengers heading to Ayodhya. Today, over two thousand Goans are traveling to Ayodhya. We are going to visit Ram Lalla on the 15th of this month together with the Goan cabinet and citizens. We are fortunate to be visiting Ram Lalla with the whole Goan population for the first time,” he said.
The Special Tourist “Aastha” train from Surat Central Railway Station to Ayodhya Dham was launched off earlier on Sunday by Union Minister of State for Railways Darshana Jardosh.
Meanwhile, a sizable contingent of Lord Ram devotees from Jalandhar boarded a “Aastha Special Train” on Friday. At 10:00 am on Friday, another Aastha special train left Thiruvananthapuram’s Kochuveli railway station for Ayodhya.
More than 200 Aastha special trains are operated by Indian Railways between different Indian cities and tier 1 and tier 2 towns and Ayodhya, where pilgrims may have the darshan of Ram Lalla at the recently constructed Ram Mandir.
Every Aastha train, according to the railroads, has twenty sleeping carriages. A single train can hold around 1,400 passengers.
A significant number of devotees have been visiting the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya since the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22.