A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Representative image.
Credit: X/@CMOMaharashtra via PTI Photo
Mumbai: In what would connect the common man with the history, heritage and values of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) will undertake a five-day journey by Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train at places linked to the iconic Maratha warrior.
The journey would start on 9 June, 2025.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was coronated in Raigad Fort on 6 June, 1674 - and it is from here he laid the foundation of ‘Hindavi-Swarajya’ of self-rule of the Hindu-people.
The travel packages are categorised into Economy (SL) - Rs. 13,155, Comfort (3AC) - Rs 19,840 and Superior (2AC) - Rs. 27,365.
The journey will start at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai on 9 June and will return on 14 June.
From CSMT and Thane, the train will move to Mangaon (Raigad), Pune, Satara,
Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus (Kolhapur) and back to Mumbai.
The first attraction would be Raigad Fort, considered to be one of the strongest forts in the Deccan Plateau and known as ‘Gibraltar of the East’ or ‘Durg Raj’, the King of Forts.
It is in Raigad Fort that Shivaji Maharaj was coronated. The Raigad Fort - which rises 820 metres (2,700 ft) above sea level in the picturesque Sahyadri mountain ranges - comes under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The train will travel to Pune - where the people would be taken to Lal Mahal and Kasba Ganapati. In Lal Mahal, Shivaji Maharaj spent his childhood.
The Lal Mahal is also famous for an encounter between Shivaji and Shaista Khan where Shivaji cut off four fingers of the latter's when he was trying to escape from the first-floor window of the Lal Mahal.
Post lunch, a visit to Shivsrushti at Ambegaon Budruk is scheduled, which is Asia’s only historic theme park which was the vision of late historian and playwright Babasaheb Purandare. The project showcases Shivaji Maharaj’s core principles of Swadesh, Swadharma, and Swabhasha.
The next day, the guests would be taken to Shivneri Fort in Junnar, where Shivaji Maharaj was born. Thereafter they would be taken to Bhimashankar temple, one of the Jyotirlingas.
The next destination is Satara, where the guests would be taken to Pratapgad Fort - where Shivaji Maharaj killed Adilshahi General Afzal Khan.
Then the train will move to Kolhapur, where the guests would visit the Mahalaxmi temple and the Panhala Fort, which oversee the historic trade route.
After an overnight journey, the train will be back to Thane and Mumbai.