Golden Chariot: Opulence takes wheels

Golden Chariot: Opulence takes wheels
From Preethi Nagaraj, DH News Service, On board the Golden Chariot:
It was a feast for the eyes of onlookers as the magenta coloured Golden Chariot chugged into the Mysore railway station at about 4:30 pm on Saturday.

A rather unusual sight, the Golden Chariot majestically entered the City of Palaces and stationed itself on the dusty Platform No 1, usually reserved for trains coming from or leaving for Bangalore for most part of the day. The train left people dumb-founded with its sheer opulence.

The bystanders peered through the two layers of glass panes that covered the windows what with the pastel coloured thick curtains being neatly tucked to the sides to let the world know what luxury on track was all about.
Surely, the flavour of the season was only living up to its promise.

After being flagged off by President Pratibha Patil at the Yeshwantpur Railway Station in Bangalore, railway officials in a sudden decision decided to conduct a trial run of sorts of the train till Mysore and back.

With only a few officials and their families on board along with staff of Mapple, the company taking on board and off board care of travellers, the Golden Chariot left Mysore at about 5:25 pm on its return journey and leisurely chugged on to reach the Bangalore City Railway Station at 9:40 pm.

Aboard Golden Chariot, every minute was golden. An occasional jerk in a few minutes was the only reminder of the train’s earthly moorings. Everything else from the airconditioned environs to the glitzy interiors to the cutlery, lent the journey a five-star aura.

All along the route, as the train stopped every half-an hour to wait for clearance from the stations to pass, villagers on both sides of the track watched the gigantic wonder with amazement. As the train moved into Bangalore City, people atop residential complexes gazed at the piece of history.

Once on commercial run from March 3, the train will leave Bangalore at 9 pm on every Monday for a trip of Mysore, Kabini, Shravanabelagola, Belur, Halebid, Hampi, Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal and Goa before returning to Bangalore the next Monday at 9 am.

The seven-day trip is billed to cost around Rs 1 lakh. The train with 19 coaches is aimed at overseas travellers and can accommodate 88 of them.

Slices of history
All the 11 coaches reserved for the passengers are named after dynasties which ruled the state such as Chalukyas, Shatavahanas, Yadavas, Hoysalas, Rashtrakutas, Adhil Shahis, Bahamanis, Kalachuris and so on.
A fully furnished kitchen, attendants on call, plasma TV in cabin-cum-rooms and in the lounge (which in a normal train is the last seat), a gym, sauna with masseurs and a Wi-Fi enabled business section give the train the holistic touch of life anywhere.

The infotainment activities — off board activities — are being taken care by Arun Pai and Rupa of India Walks, which has partnered with Mapple on this venture. “There won’t be too many activities so that it does not get too overwhelming for the tourists. It will be a slice of each tourist place. Once they are off the train, we try hard to maintain the same pleasant atmosphere on the buses with trained guides,” according to Arun Pai.

The staff, all appointed by Mapple, are young and specially trained to be aboard a train. A special menu avoiding perishable food items and spicy stuff has been drawn up by Chef Deepak Kumar Chaubey. Karnataka specialities such as Neer Dose, Bisi Bele Bhath and Idli-Vada also figure in the menu along with western breakfast items.

Five women trained in hotel management have been appointed by Mapple, apart from the male service staff. All of them have been given special training to manage their duties better on a moving train which in itself is a challenge what with the accompanying chugs and thuds.

For the staff, it’s a thrilling experience to be part of Karnataka's history of tourism promotion, according to Public Relations Officer Ratnakant.