MUMBAI: A pair of special trains will be run between Bandra Terminus and Velankanni (Vailankanni) to clear the rush of passengers heading for the annual festival at Velankanni.
The Bandra Terminus-Velankanni special (09001) will leave Bandra Terminus at 10.50 pm on August 27 (Thursday) and reach Velankanni at 1.30 pm on August 29 (Saturday).
The Velankanni-Bandra Terminus special (09002) will leave Velankanni (Vailankanni) at 11.45 pm on August 29 (Saturday) and reach Bandra Terminus at 2.20 pm on August 31 (Monday). The trains will run via Arakkonam, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai, and Tiruvarur.
The specials will stop at Borivali, Vasai Road, Kalyan, Lonavala, Pune, Daund, Solapur, Wadi, Yadgir, Raichur, Manthralayam Road, Adoni, Guntakkal, Gooty,
Tadipatri, Muddanuru, Yerraguntala, Cuddappah, Rajampeta, Koduru, Renigunta, Arakkonam, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Tiruppadirippuliyur, Chidambaram, Sirkazhi, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, and Nagapattinam.
The advance reservation for the train booking will start on August 4, a press release said.
Velankanni (Vailankanni) shrine: The famous Roman Catholic shrine here in Velankanni is dedicated to God in the name of Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health. Velankanni is one of the biggest Catholic pilgrimage centres in the country. People of all faiths also visit the shrine. Roman Catholic basilicas are Catholic pilgrimage sites. A basilica is a special church notified by the Pope. Velankanni (Vailankanni) shrine is believed to have healing powers.The church claims ever since "our Blessed Mother set foot on the sacred soil of Vailankanni some 400 years ago" she is "revered in Vailankanni as the Mother of Good Health."
SEE a video of pilgrims visiting Velankanni shrine
Velankanni (Vailankanni) festival: Around twenty million pilgrims visit the shrine from all over India and abroad annually. Three million of them come during the annual 11-day festival from August 29 to September 8 that concludes with the Feast of the Nativity of Mary.
HOW TO REACH: Velankanni (Vailankanni) is a panchayat town in Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, 350 km south of Chennai (Madras) and 12 km south of Nagapattinam town. The tsunami of 2004 had devastated the area. Trichy is the nearest airport for Velankanni; Velankanni is well-connected by train and bus from all towns. Nagapattinam is a major rail station.
