Will Halt Ramayan Express If Servers' Saffron Dress Code Not Changed: Seers In Ujjain

If the servers' saffron dress code is not amended, seers would halt the train at Delhi's Safdarjung railway station, he further said.

IRCTC Ramayana Yatra Train. (File Photo)

New Delhi: Seers from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, objected to the saffron costume worn by servers onboard the Ramayan Express on Monday, calling it an insult to the Hindu faith and threatening to halt the train in Delhi on December 12 if the dress code is not changed.

Speaking to news agency PTI, Ujjain Akhada Parishad's former general secretary Avdeshpuri said, "We have written a letter two days back to the Union Railway Minister lodging our protest against waiters serving refreshments and food in the Ramayan Express in saffron. Donning saffron attire with a sadhu-like headgear and wearing malas (necklaces) of rudraksha is an insult to the Hindu religion and its seers."

If the servers' saffron dress code is not amended, seers would halt the train at Delhi's Safdarjung railway station, he further said.

"We will sit on the railway tracks. This is necessary for protecting the Hindu religion. We have taken a strong view of this issue in Ujjain," he added.

Every 12 years, the Simhastha Kumbh Mela is held at Ujjain, where Lord Shiva's Shree Mahakaleshwar temple is located.

On November 7, the country's first Ramayan circuit train set off on a 17-day journey from Safdarjung railway station.

This railway travels to 15 locations related to Lord Ram's life.

The railway will carry pilgrims to Ayodhya, Prayag, Nandigram, Janakpur, Chitrakoot, Sitamarhi, Nasik, Hampi, and Rameshwaram, covering a distance of more than 7,500 kilometres. The Ramayan Express has first-rate eateries, a library, and bathing facilities.

(With inputs from PTI)