The two Vande Bharat Express trains - which would be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi - would connect major temple towns and pilgrimage places of Maharashtra. It would give a major boost to religious tourism in Maharashtra.
On a day-long visit to Mumbai on Friday, Modi would flag off the Express trains which originate from the iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The two trains are Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Train and Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Train, which would be the ninth and tenth Vande Bharat Express trains.
The Mumbai-Solapur route would cater to Siddheshwar in Solapur, Akkalkot, Tuljapur, Pandharpur near Solapur and Alandi near Pune. The Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi would cater to Nashik, Trimbakeshwar, Sainagar Shirdi, Shani Singanapur. The Solapur district is considered the spiritual capital of Maharashtra while Nashik is the pilgrimage capital.
The Siddheshwar temple (Solapur) is sacred to the Hindus and members of the Lingayat faith. Shri Siddheshwar temple is dedicated to Lord Siddheshwar who has other forms as Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. The Pandharpur (Solapur) houses the Vithoba Temple, known as Shri Vitthal-Rukmini Mandir - dedicated to God Vithoba - a form/incarnation of Lord Vishnu or Lord Krishna and his consort Goddess Rakhumai. Besides, there are hundreds of temples in Pandharpur.