UNIT 24 PALACE ON WHEELS
Structure
24.0 Objectives 24.1 Introduction 24.2 Genesis of the Project '24.3 Setting up the Project 24.4 Project Performance 24.5 The Package I 24.6 Promotion
24.7 Organizational Set Up 0 ~ I 24.8 Let Us Sum Up I :! 24') Answers to Cl eck Your Pv-gress Exercises Appendices ----_-
24.0 OBJECTIVES
After reading this Unit, you should be able to learn:
• how and why the idea of starting the Palace on Wheelsemerged,
• how the project was initiated, • the ways of promotion and organisation of this project, and finally'
• the outcome of this project.
24.1 INTRODUCTION
Travelling forms an integral part of tourism and a tourist cannot think of travelling India without having an experience of journey by rail. Indian Railways (IR) connect major parts of the country with each other and pro- ide the cheapest mode of travel. You have already, studied in Unit-S (Block-S, TS-l) that how Railways play a crucial role in the development and promotion ( r tourism. Being aware of this importance of Railways the Railway authorities have come forward in the recent past with various innovative packages to promote tourism. The scheme of Palace on Wheels is one such tourism promotional project of Indian Railways. This is a JOInt venture of Indian Railways with Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation. This Unit give you the details of the project, it'> planning and implementation along with the outcome of this project.
24.2 GENESIS O!f THE PROJECT
Towards the end of the year 1980, BBC carried on their network a series called Great Railway Journeys ,f tin; World. The media WV0f' ge of the series later indicated that from this series the feature on the Indian Railways was very well received. The essence of the media reports was that there were few railw ; around the world that could match the beer romance, size, variety of routes, attrllrti'In, and the variety of gauges etc. of the Indian Railways. Consequentiy many foreign tourists visiting India feel that they must experience the joy of travelling by train ho- ••.·ever brief it may be. Many of them are fascinated by the sight of now extinct small steam engines chugging up the hill in the mountainous areas and regret that they were unaware about this great Indian marvel before they left their country.
ThiS was taken note of by the Ministry of Railways in India and it contemplated tntroducinl! sperH·c tourism projects for attracting foreign tourists-particularly from the T Woo 1ne idea was that depending upon the requirements of the UK tourist market and certain other countries, specific schemes covering' such sectors of the IR which heu; great • .'.># 5 • ·'~_"'h.,. Promotional Skills: Case Studles·1 attraction' for the market could be devised and marketed abroad. This would serve the ~ purpose of earning precious foreign exchange for the country thereby increasing the market share of India in the international tourism market. -, r >, I
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A note outlining the pilot project was sent by the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) to the Ministry of Commerce in January 1981 for consideration during the ensuing lndo- British Economic Cooperation (IBEC) talks schedt1led to be held in New Delhi between the Union Minister for Commerce, Government of India and the Minister of Trade, Government of UK.. During these talks. the project idea put forth by the Ministry of Railways also cropped up. While nothing concrete emerged during the talks on the project. it was agreed that the idea should be pursued further. Soon after the talks. the proposal after due consideration by the Union Ministry of Commerce and the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance was forwarded to the Board of Trade of the UK Government for their comments on its business potential. The comments received from the' Board of Trade were very positive. As a follow up on this, in May 1981, the then Union Minister of Railways and the Chairman. Railway Board visited UK. and held discussions with the officials of the Indian High Commission in UK.. Air India, India Tourist Office, Ditector of Export Market Development Division of Commonwealth Secretariat and leading travel agents in UK.etc. at London. There was a general consensus in the meeting that a package tour on the lines the Indian Railways was considering would evoke a good response from the UK-origin tourists.
Having had a favourable response from a cross-section of market feelers. the Ministry of Railways in consultation with the Department of Tourism, Government of India started giving concrete shape to the project. The project concept was defined as-a hotel on wheels which is mobile in the night and Is made sta.tlonary at a tourism centre in the day time so that the tourists can move around the tourism' centre. Thus, the activities of travelling and staying could be merged. It was thought therefore that a series of packages could be introduced linking the important tourism centres of India. The foremost to emerge in the series of these packages and the one that could be operationalized in the short run was later named as Palace on Wheeis. It was noted that Rajasthan offered vast tourism potential as the state was dotted with forts. rich heritage and myriad scenic spots. It was therefore realized that a package along the lines of the defined concept could be !4ilnched in Rajasthan. Since Rajasthan p~arilr had a network of metre Qauge track 52 ", "v, ~ '''' ' (barring Bharatpur - Sawai Madhopur - Kota section falling on Delhi-Bombay trunk .Palace on Wheels route), the special tourist train in Rajasthan had to be a metre-gauge train. Accordingly the coaches for the special train had to be identified. One idea that emerged was that the old coaches belonging to the erstwhile Maharajas and the Viceroys could be renovated and refurbished to serve as carriages in the tourist train. To complete the old world charm the train could be hauled by a steam engine and the tourists driven down the nostalgia lane. It . also made business sense in that the required number of the existing carriages did not need to be pulled out of the fleet and remodelled and refurbished to serve as tourist train coaches. That would have incurred large expenditure as sunk cost with the risk of the project failing to click. This package was christened Palace on Wheels. The decision to introduce POW was taken in June 1981.
24.3 SETTING UP THE PROJECT
The old royal carriages belonging to the Maharajahs and the princely states of Rajputana " and Gujarat were reinforced and refurbished with the expert assistance of an interior designer. This work was carried out at the Railway Coach Works at Ajmer. It was ensured that the interiors, most of which were fifty years or more of age were changed as little as possible so as to retain the original ambience of the heritage. (See Appendix-I for a brief history of the coaches selected). Of course, modem gadgets like electric geysers in toilets and beds with modem foam cushions were installed for"the comfort of the tourists. It was decided by tne Ministry of Railways and the Department of Tourism, Government of India that since tourism was a state subject, it would need to involve the Rajasthan Government in the project Accordingly, Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) was also involved in"the project. Under the agreement signed between the RTDC and the IR, it was decided that the RTDC would look after the reservation, promotion, housekeeping,
f catering on board, sight seeing, cultural programmes and boat, camel and elephant rides at various destinations and all other ground arrangements. IR would be responsible for the operation of the train and the maintenance of the rolling stock.
It was decided that initially three itineraries - 7 days/8 nighs, 4 days/4 nighs and 2 days/ 3 nights - would be offered. The project was announced in the parliament by the Union Minister for Railways on February 25, 1982 in his Railway budget presentation speech. The trial runs of the train had begun on 26th January 1982 and continued upto March 1982. In all five trial runs were made during the period. At the culmination of the trial runs, the itineraries were reviewed and it was decided to fix the itinerary as 7 days/8 nights.
The project was set up to fulfil the following objectives:
• to promote tourism, • to conserve and maintain the priceless heritage of very distinctive nature, i.e. the royal and viceregal coaches dating"back to the turn of the last century, • to attract attention to tourism in India with a unique tourism product which could become the talk of international. tourism circles, and • to earn precious foreign exchange for the country.. I. Check Your ProgressYl ·,,"l. 1. What motivated the government to launch the Palace on Wheels? ......
\ ; ~~. List some of the objectives of this project. Promotional Skills: Ca~1!Studles-I ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 'I ·············· ..······· ..,'······ ..··········r··········· .
3. Explain some salient features of this project.
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-24.-4--P-R--_OJEC.T_-PER--~-FORMANCE
in this Section we are providing you some data on the performance of the project which would help you to make an assessment of the project.
1. Occupancy: The particulars in respect of occupancy since 1982-83 are given m Table-I in percentage.
Table 1
Ycar No. of tours No. of paid Average passengers occupancy
;982-83 26 1056 41% 1983-84 26 967 38% 'r 1984-85 21 783 38% 1985-86 25 1102 45% 1986-87 26 1375 59% [987-88 26 1747 75.1% 1981\-89 26 2212 93.4% 191\9-90 26 2282 95.06% 199091 26 J899 80.1% 1991-92 26+4 1001+105 76.1% (Apnl.92) ! 192·93 20=3 1914+64. 73.63% (Sep, 92 + (Sep, 92 + April,93 April,93) ~------.---_._---- In 1984-85 season five trips had to be cancelled 2. Foreign Exchange Earnings: The Foreign exchange earnings from the project since its commercialInception have been as described in Table-2. Table 2 Year Foreign ~~~ange earned (in lakhs of Rupees) 1982-83 54.9 1983-84 64.56 1984-85 55.00 ...,... 0 0 1985-86 72.30 e0 (.l) 1986-87 101.26 (.l) 54 Palace on Wheels 1987-88 142.58 1988-89 190.81 1989-90 232.85 1990-91 250.32 1991-92 466.09 1992-93 652.61 (April, 92 to March, 93) 3. Net Earning: While RTDC made a net profit on its earnings from 1982-83 to 1986- 87, IR had consistently incurred losses between 1982-83 and 1984-85 (the figures for 1985-86 and 1986-87 were not available). The Public Accounts Committee in its report submitted on 28th April 1987 was critical about the fmancial performance of IR in Palace on Wheels project. In its view, it was tantamount to subsidizing the travel of affluent foreigners. 4. Foreign travellers: Table-3 indicates the break-up of the foreign travellers on Palace on Wheels between 1982-83 and 1992-93. Table 3 Country 82-83 83-84 84-85 85-86 86-87 87-88 88-89 89-90 90-91 91-92 92-93 UK 749 474 286 367 386 356 476 401 465 354 307 FRG 15 14 47 62 133 227 321 344 284 273 396 USA 73 278 184 325 453 531 570 509 295 367 452 Japan 83 38 15 17 22 11 48 121 56 47, 35 Australia 25 37 102 112 127 100 158 111 138 68 53- Others 54 85 103 165 2-04 522 639 796 661 892 667 Total 999 918 737 1048 1325 1747 2212 2282 1899 2001 1910 57 passengers in 1982-83, 49 in 83-84, 44 in 84-85, 54 in 85-86 and 176 in 86-87 were Indian travellers. These figures when added to the Total in Table-Ill would be the same as in Table-I. The package attracted the tourists primarily from UK, Germany, USA, Japan and Australia. 24.5 THE PACKAGE Like many other facets of tourism in India, the train is a unique blend of history and the 20th century. It runs on metre gauge track and is hauled for the most part of its journey by a steam engine. The space in the train is extremely limited and 5-star hotel like luxuries are not available. Each carriage has been renovated and refurbisbed with an eye on maintaining the original ambience. Bathrooms have running hot and cold water. The capacity of each carriage is either 6 or 8 berths in two-berther coupes. Thus, each coach has 3 or 4 coupes. The train is not vestibuled resulting in clock services of a saloon captain and saloon attendant: They have consistently received accolades from the pas- sengers for the quality of service and hospitality. Two dining cars serve Continental and Indian cuisine. One of the dining cars also serves as a discotheque after the evening meals are over. In addition, there is an airconditioned lounge car with a well-stocked bar and a small library consisting of about 200 books. The train schedule includes appropriate halts .. well before the meal times so as to enable guests to go over to the bar or restaurant car. 55 PromotiOll!'! Sktlls: Case Studles-l The train operaies tU! SiX llluUtil:> between U1C months of October and March every year, It does 26 trips of eight days and seven nights, each leaving Delhi every Wednesday and returning a week later having covered world famous destinations-Jaipur, Chittorgarb, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodbpur, Bharatpur, Fatebpur Sikri and Agra in that order. The itinerary and scheduled timings for events are in Appendix-2. A brief write-up on the destinations is presented in Appendix-3. The package is so planned that the day light. hours are spent in sight-seeing and visiting palace hotels for meals. At night when the passengers are asleep, they travel to the next destination. Thus, the passengers do not have I . to' rrry about booking into early morning flights, checking in at odd hours in the botels li and being pushed ut the tourist points by (be cab drivers, guides, curio shop owners, etc. Based on the responsibilities agreed to between the Indian Railways and the RIDC, (be practice fOJ J.illw fixing has been that each of the partners prepare their part of the tariff for the purpose of quoting the all-inclusive tariff. While IR has fixed its share based on an expert committee (Rail Tariff Enquiry Committee) recommendations in respect of special trains, tourist cars and saloons, RTDC used cost plus method for price fixing. From 1982- 83, the-total tariff has been increasing @108 p.a. 24.6 PROMOTION During the first promotional season (i.e. 1981-82) and subsequent two commercial seasons (i.e. 1982-83 and 1983-84), promotion efforts were confined to the UK market. Kaul Prever Harle & Simore (KPHS) of London were .hired to do the initial promotion. Launch campaign-There was an advertising campaign in the form of 9 insertions in the leading daily and Sunday national newspapers. The first two insertions were released in December 1981. Thevobjective was to inform the British public of the design of"the package (see illustration). Simultaneously, Government of India Tourist Office at London was stocked with promotion brochures so that the people making inquiries following exposure to the advertisement could have greater information on the package. The following journalists of UK were invited to.travel on Palace on' Wheels. It was hoped that after they return. they would write their travelogue in the newspapers they represented. '!J 1. Mr. Brian Jackman of Sunday Times 2. Mr. John Ezard of The Guardian 3. Mr. Sue Amold of The Observer 4. Mr. Lee Langley of Sunday Telegraph 5. Mr. K Westcott Jones of United Newspapers In addition 30 sets of general press release were organised with photographs and were mailed out to important trade and consumer publications. Twenty four blowups were organized for display at: . • American Express credit card offices, • India Tourist Office, • Air India offices, and • KPHS office. The objective of these blowups was to generate interest and enquiries form the public and tour operators. In order to respond to all possible inquiries regarding the package, full time Palace on Wheels Information service was established at 23, Ramillies Place, London (office of KPHS). About 8000 inquiries were handled by Palace on Wheels Information Service, Gradually i~was promoted in more countries and many tour operators offered it in their package tours. A lot of publicity is carried in the print media either through paid advertisements or in the form of write ups done by travel writers. . The Palace-on-Wheels, which brings back to life the vintage splendours of the age of .1aharajas, Viceroys and Governors-General we thought had ,gone forever, is back on the track on October 1, in response to the enormous demand following its inaugural runs last January. handicraft shop foreign exchange JODHPUR - An aery fanta;) in counter sak deposit its own exquisitely carved sandstone distinctive post mark and postal IUtJ\fVHfVR -One of the world'~ service and a sound system for most spectacular bird sanctuanes announcements and music. What AGM - Renowned for the Taj rno:« can an) gr ar iou- maharaja Mahal. eternal testament to \\ ant? human love. Plus visit> to f atehpur Sihri from THE PACKAGE - ALL Agra and to the Sam sand curies ~!1~ .,:, INCLUSIVE from Jaisalrncr. WlROO TOURS lNO /lWi{H 83 The cost of this incredibly for information on nostalgic package includes . ~~r?~ reservations/booktngs/packaqe tours :~/~ V; V 1';11 tr avelling on the Palace-on-wheels. contect»- /If" ~ ~ ~/r;A ~ full meals or: and off the train A.I'\UUCAI'l UfRrSS TIlAVn during the course of the tour. the , DIVISION. Tnt: TRAIN - Tnt: t:NGINt:- itinerary - including entrance and 6 Haymarket. London SI\' J Y 41'>5 guide fees to the monuments Telephone 019~ 4411 PURf VlNTAGt: PUR[ STt:AM etc. - camel, elephant and boat 5r[[D611ID HOLIDAYS, This collection of royal saloons is rides. sightseeing in luxury buses, 152 King Street. London 1\'6 OQl' A collection of hauled all the v.ay by a vintage cultural entertainment at selected Telephone 0 I·741 8041 WJI'!(jS 110., steam engine. exactly as it used to points. visits to additional places stately saloons Wings House. Bro~bourne. Herts be in the days of the Maharajas of interest. .t" impeccably. restored [NIO 7HX Telephone 099287611 fACILITIES - fIT fOR ,r;-. j,o, GI~ol< 104120412811 to their former Wory. Ne,,'castic 10632r612141 MAHARAJAS Manchester 1061228j 1923 Among these saloons are the or (qntact your local Travet Agen~ Bikaner State Coach, the oldest. Each saloon, which accommodates built in 1898. The Maharaja of no more than eight persons has for the full story in colour wrire to THE ITlNt:RARY - Palac;.e·on·Wheels Information :XT :(( Navanagar Coach with its famous its own luxuriousty 23 Rarnillies Place London WI ornamental ceiling and Burma cushioned sleeping Princely tours of Teah side panels The Bhavnagar berths. lounge, bar I!t fOI general information on In,ji;; State Saloon - the scene of many a kitchenette and two Rajasthan Aw:a contact India Iourist Office royal marriage - complete with toilets. The train itself TOUR] Three nights 21 Ne" Bond Street. London \1,'1. romantic verandah, The Viceregai includes a separate DclhiAqraJaipurDelhi. Coach - used by the agent for the dining car TOUR 2 Seven nights. c,t. ON 1It~ Governor General for Rajasthan- sepal ate air Delhi Jaipur-Udaipur Jaisatrncr pure white and very regal conditioned Jodhvur·Bharatpur·Agra,Delhi The vintage flavour lounge-rum DH", - Old and new. historic v/':' . of each saloon is observation capital of India. . enhanced by its coat car I'.ith a JAIPUR - Dazzling pinh cit) 01 4~~~ of a, ms. a b'rief history ba: Rajasthan. and an exclusive children's UDAIPUR - Shimmering desert attendant resplendent corner paradox of lakes and palaces. \!)'!J\!1\!)\!) in period costume to host librar.\ JAISALI'tER - A-golden creation Vintage India All The Way all lour needs. gamc~ in fulfillmcnt of a hol) prophecy, 57 Now) the Yr.5, the Desert Queen PALACE ON WHEELS luxury train of princely heritage will weave its magic right across glorious Rajasthan. On board impeccable , service, class comforts and facilities will be yours. The kind you can expect only on the best +ains of the world. Get set for the enchanting ride thro~gh historic - 1aipur - Chittorgarh . Udaipur - Jaisalmer Jodhpur - Bharatpur Agra and Fatehpur Sikri , Queen " will take you around L r Udaipur While travelling on the Palace on Wheels you will also visit romantic Udaipur - a gem in the valley, ringed hy green hills and blessed with blue water lakes. In stark contrast tu ifs battle scarred forts are its magnificient palaces that seem to rise out of Lake Pichola. JOINTLY OPERATED BY INDIAN R/.::_;,vAYS & RAJASTHAN TOURISM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FOR RESERVATION CONTACT The Manager, PALACE ON WHEELS, Rajasthan Tounst Reception Centre, Bikaner House, New Delhi- 110012. ~ Tel: 381884, 383837, Tlx. 031·63142 RTDC-IN Fax. 091-011-382823 'HEAD OFFICE Manager (Accommodation & Reservation), ~ . Rajallthan Tourism Development Corpn. Ltd., Swagatam Tourist Buggalow Campus, Near Railway Station, Jaipur-6. Tel : 60586, 79252. Tlx: 0365-2479 RTDe IN. Fex:0141-76245 Gram:ATITHI 'AHMEDABADTel.453126-127 'BOMBAY Tel.2044102 'CALCUTIATel:279051 (5 "--, I'''''nwlional Skills: ('a.~~ Sludll's-l { l--'~-'-- 24.7 OGANIZATIOI\.~.e SE j UP Both IR and r~TDC haw iudcpc.uic.rt orgunisational set ups to fulfil their respective responsibilities in operating the package. lR has tourism directorate under the supervision of Member (Traffic) of the Railway Board, Director, Tourism ill coordination with the divisional officers oj Western Ratlway and Northern Railway (tJ1C two geographic subdivisions of IR in whose jurisdicuona: areas the tourrxt points fall) performs the TR's share of responsibilities. During the running of the train, the following staff of IR travel in the train: Train Superintendent L_-i ;\1a ill tc 11illIce Driving Security c t , W crew Opl:fdllH ~ pt -r-« innc I (fnr Carr;·I.l:l'S, (bck 1I11!ing to gcnerating equipment, Railwa , Prorcrrion r('fri!:':'f:iI~(ln, Force) all conditioning ctc.) RTD\.' has the itlll()wing organization structure Ior the package: Managing Director I General Manager r I Manager, Central Manager (J) Manager (ll) Reservation I I -----r Deputy Tour Manager Escort I Assistant Manager rr. Accountant Saloon Head Maitre- Demi Captains Barman De-Hotels Chefs Clerks (2) (12) (2) (2) Saloon Barman Stewards Cooks Stcno Attendants (5) (4) (15) Bar Utility Attendant Workers (6) RTDC maintains a Visitor's Book which is kepyon board during the trip. During the last leg of the journey (Bharatpur-New Delhi), the passengers are requested to express their feelings about the package. In order to obtain specific feedback on the various aspects of the package like the amenities provided on board, food and beverages (both on board and in hotels), service of train staff, guided tour and reservation & booking experience, a structured feedback form called Guest Suggestion Form is administered on each passenger by the respective saloon captain. All the guest suggestions forms are banded over by t.he o o saloon .captains to the train manager. After the conclusion of each trip, General Manager- o Palace on Wheels and the Managing director of RTDC examine the Visitor's Book and .M.•. the guest suggestion forms. These serve as important sources of information for :Lllprovements in the package. From 1994 season the Palace on Wheel., h'lS been! ______..-£_..1 ~~ .oL _ I.. Check Your progres~ 1.. How was this project promoted? ••••••••••• •••• • •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 0 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ¥ ••• 2. What is the understanding between the Indian Railways and the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation in this project? 3. From the given statistics give your comments on the performance of this project. ...... / 24.8 LET US SUM UP As mentioned in the introduction, there is an important linkage between the development of tourism and railways. The project of Palace on Wheels is the best example of this corelationship. This Unit has shown you how did the idea of Palace on Wheels come. Spectacular variation of Indian Railways and its appeal among the people were skilfully used to attract the tourists. People's nostalgia, the urge for visiting the historical places and modern comforts were blended througb this package tour by rail. This is an example for a tourism professional to learn how can one systematically use the available resorr for the promotion of tourism. In a sim'Iar way you should also think of various P.1C. I',.s for attracting the tourists. ~lJCC"C· 1 ;. Palace (\>l \Vhccls La<. ;,..~,.. ''. ~ R(lih':~;' Authorities to plan for more such package tours RC(·n~"i." ;;~k/'.'.,;;tVt;' t;. ,.•..•, ~"'., ~~:XI,dV·l to launch 9 more P~~:;{'eon 'Vhcels type trains In aihcnm? ;J3r<' .,'. country. T!!I! Railways have invited the private sector to manage some of these pr;ljcds. ------_." ----- 24.9 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS EXERCISES 1. See Sec. 24.2. ,! •• Z. See Sec. 24.3. ,:~t' ):3. See S". 24.3. 61 PromoUonal SIdDs: Case StucUes.l Check Your P~ogress 2 1. See Sec. 24.6. 2. See Sec. 24.5. 3. In the light of the performance of the Palace on Wheels in the last few years you have to make an assessment of this project in your own words. See Sec. 24.4. Railway package tours Accordmg to Mr Chaturvedi the Across The Godavari: Hyderabad- By Girja Shankat' Kaura concept of package tours is ~";ng Vijayawada-Hyderabad; Medieval very weUon certain sectors but is yet City Tour: Delhi-Gwalior-Orcha- NEW DELHI, May 8 to pick up on some other sectors. Delhi; Wild Life Safari: Nagpur-: Pink Rhapsody, Shimmenng The sectors which are doing very' Kanha-Nagpur. Sands, Bpics in Stone, Bird Song well are mostly in Raiasthan and HARBOUR PICNIC: Calcutta- Tour-these are no titles of new Gujarat wnich have traditionally Diamond Harbour-Calcutta;. HiU songs or names of equisite res- been tourists' attraction areas. Queen.: Chandigarh-Shl.mla- taurants opening in the Capital. But The forei$ll tourists wishin~ to ~h:-ndlgarh; T~m~les. & TI~ers these are the package tours offered travel in India can get the bookings .l~ek:, D~lhi-Rishlkesh-Chl~a- by the Indian Railways to forei~n to the tourists spots they want to Nlka!1th-J?~lhi; Kumaon Special: and Indian tourists wanting to dis-: visit at least an year in advance with Delhi Nainital-Delhi: Sculuted cover the hidden secrets of our mys- the help of General Sales Agents Sprenaour: Bangalore-Mysore- tical country. operating irt 13 countries across the ~assan-Halebid-B~galore; Epi~ Introduced recently on the Indian world. The Indian Railways has m. Stone: Delhi-J Historical Account of the Coaches in Palace on Wheels , Captions Used: L:· Lounge; C: Two berth coupe; B: Four berth compartment; T: Toilet; P: Pantry 1. CT-2 This coach was built for the Maharajah of Jaipur in 1936 at Ajmer workshop. It was built with verandas on both sides, exterior painted in white colour, purple brown lines at window sills and flower motifs at the veranda sides. L+T+T+C+C+C+P=8 berths 2. CT-7 This coach was built in 1911 at Ajmer workshop for the Viceregal train. It was used by Maharajahs of'Rajputana and Govt. of India dignitaries. P+L+C+T+T+C+4B=8 berths 3. CT-9S Built in 1922 for the use of Maharajah of Nawanagai at the Bhavanagar workshop. It was popularly known as Nawanagar saloon and used by the famous cricketer Ranaji. The underframe of the coach was built by Stableford & Co. of CoalvUle in 1921. The ceiling is ornamental type and the side panels are of Burma teak. P+C+C+T+L+T+C+C=8 berths 4, eT-I7 Popularly called as Viceroy's carriage, it was used by Maharajahs of Rajputana and Government of India dignitaries. It was manufactured in 1913. It was painted white in the same. pattern as of the other coaches of Viceregal train. The original length of the coach was 47 feet and six inches. This was one of the first coaches in India to have SKF roller bearing on its axle boxes, P+C+C+C+C+T+T+L=8 berths 5. CT-31 This carriage was built in 1931 for the Maharana of Udaipur and his state offtcers. Originally built with veranda on one side. During the renovation in 1981, the veranda portion was merged into the main carriage body. P+C+C+C+T+T+L=8 berths 6. CT-34755 owes its origin in the year 1929 and was used by Maharajah of Bhavnagar. This carriage had a veranda on the side and it is still intact with solid brass pillars. This carriage also shows the typical Saurashtra pattern of side panels and beautiful metallic ceiling. L+C+C+C+C+T+T+T+P=8 berths 7. CT-34756 was built in 1917 for Nizam State Railways and was used by Nizam of Hyderabad and his state's high dignitaries. L+C+C+C+C+T+T+P=8 berths 8. CT-814 This coach was built in 1907 at the Bhavnagar workshops for the use of the Maharajah of Bhavnagar state and its top officials. This coach has beautiful ornamental ceiling and teak body panels. L+T+c+C+C+P=6 berths 9. CT-3 This is the oldest carriage on Palace on Wheels. It was built in 1898 and was usedby Maharajah of Bikaner and his high dignitaries. 4B+C+C+T+T+L+P=8berths IQ.. CT-lO This carriage was built in 1923 for Bikaner state Railway at Jodhpur workshop. It was used by Maharaiah of Bikaner and his state's high dignitaries. 4B+C+T+T+L+P=6 berths 63 ·.Promotlonal Skills: ClISe Studies-1 11. CT-20 This carriage was built in 1930 at Ajmer. workshop. It was utilized by the , Maharajahs of Rajputana and the high dignitaries of Government of India. In its . original form, this carriage was fitted with 4 wheel Sheffield bogies from Mls Kamani Engineering company of Bombay. No major change occurred during the conversion of this carriage except that its length was increased by 2,feet and six inches on the main bedroom side. 4B+C+C+T+T+L+P=8 berths 12. CT43 This carriage was built in 1937 at Jodhpur workshop for the use of Maharajah of Jodhpur and top officers of the state. P+T+T+C+C+C+C+L=8 berths 13. c:T-744 Built as two-six wheeled bogies in 1910, it was used by Maharajahs of Rajputana and high dignitaries of Government of' India. The underframe and the bogies of this carriage were built by Mls Stable Ford of U.K. Later on, six-wheeled bogies were replaced by four-wheeled bogies. 4B+T+T+C+L+P=6 TOTAL CAPACITY OF THE TRAIN= 98 berths 14. CT-16J This coach was built in 1910. It was used by Maharaja of Jaipur state and his officers. In 1964, this coach met with a fire accident necessitating extensive rebuilding work at Amber workshop. Prior to Worldwar-II, the exterior of this coach was pained in white colour with purple brown bold lines near window sills. A beautiful flower motif. used to welcome the occupants near the veranda. The same pattern of the . exterior painting style has been adopted for Palace on Wheels. The underframe of this coach was built by Mls; Hurt.Nelson Company of Motherwell, UK and the bogies by Mls Sheffield TwinBarrow, UK. This coach is airconditioned. L+T+Bar+E1ec. Cabin 15. CD-33065 This is a boat-Shape carriage with excellent wood work inside it. It was constructed for use by Maharana of Udaipur (Mewar). It has now been converted into restaurant annexe for Palace on Wheels. It has seating capacity for 20 persons. Furniture provided in it can be folded to convert this car into a discotheque.' It is equipped with disco lighting and music arrangements. I' ,64 ... APPENDIX.r2 Palace on Wheels Itinerary and Scheduled Timings for Events " Day 1 -Delhi 19.00 hrs. Reporting Time 20.30 hrs. Dinner on board on Palace on Wheels at Delhi Cantt 22.45.hrs. Palace on Wheels departs for Jaipur Day 2 - Jaipur Breakfast on board 08.10 hrs. Arrival at Jaipur . . 08.30 hrs. Departure by luxury bus for sight seeing at City Palace, Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal 11.30 hrs. Departure for State Handicrafts Emporium 12.45 hrs. Lunch at Rambagh Palace Hotel 14.45 hrs. Departure for Amber fort 15.30 hrs. Elephant ride and sight seeing at Amber fort 17.30 hrs.· Departure for Nahargarh fortlHotel MansingIHotel Jaipur Ashok 18.00 hrs. Tea, Dinner and Cultural show at Nahargarh fortlHotel Mansing/ Hotel Jaipur Ashok 20.00 hrs. Departure for Railway Station 21.45 hrs. Palace on Wheels departs for Chittorgarh Day 3 - Chittorgarh/Udaipur Breakfast on board , .~ .07.30 hrs. Arrival at Chittorgarh ~' 07.45 hrs. Departure for Chittorgarh fort 09.30 hrs. Departure for Udaipur 13.30 hrs. Arrival at Udaipur . 13.50 hrs. Departure by luxury bus for Lake Palace Hotel and boat ride 14.15 hrs. Lunch at Lake Palace Hotel; Departure for sight-seeing at 'City Palace, Lok Kala Mandal, Sahelion-Ki-Bari; Boat ride plus tea at Nehru Park island. (If the group strength exceeds 50, the excursion is divided into two batches. One batch follows the normal order.of sight seeing while the other covers it in reverse order) 18.45 hrs. Return to Palace on Wheels. Dinner on board and stay. Day 4 - Udaipur Breakfast on board 09.30 hrs. Departure by luxury bus for shopping and swimming , 11.30 hrs. Return to Palace on Wheels 12.30 hrs. Palace on Wheels departs for Jaisalmer. Lunch, Tea and Dinner on board. Day 5 - Jaisalmer Breakfast on board 10.00 hrs. Arrival at Jaisalmer 10.15 hrs. Departure for sight-seeing at fort and havelis 13.00 hrs. Return to Palace on Wheels for lunch. 17.00 hrs. Visit to cenotaphs and camel ride After sunset Return to Palace on Wheels- 20.15 hrs. Departure for dinner at Moomal Bungalow 22.00 hrs. Palace on Wheels departs for Jodhpur Promotional SIdUs: Case Studles·l Day 6 - Jodhpur Breakfast on board 08.25 hrs. Arrival at Jodhpur . 08.45 hrs. Departure by coach for sight-seeing at Jaswant Thada and Mehrangarh fort 11.45 hrs. Departure for lunch at Ummaid Bhawan Palace Hotel 12.15 hrs. Lunch 14.15 hrs. Return to Palace OD Wheels 15.45 hrs. Palace on Wheels departs for Bbaraq;m. Tea andDinner on board Day 7 - Bharatpur 06.45 hrs. Arrival at Bharatpur 07.00 hrs. Departure by luxury bus for bird sanctuary. Packed breakfast served, 09.30 hrs. ~parture for Fatehpur Sikri. 11.45 hrs. Departure for Agra 13.00 hrs. Arrival by luxury bus for Lunch at Hotel Clarks ShirazlMugbal Sheraton ' . 14.45 hrs. Departure for sight-seeing at Agra fort and Taj Mahal 17.00 hrs. Tea at Taj restaurant or on board 17.30 hrs. Departure for shopping 18.30 hrs. Return to Palace on Wheels 20.00 hrs. Dinner on board 21.00 hrs. Palace on Wheels departs for Delhi bay 8 - Delhi Breakfast on board 07.45 hrs. Arrival at Delhi Cant. Railway Station APPENDIX-3 A brief write-up on the destinations covered by Palace on Wheels Iaipur Described fancifully as a "solid strawberry cream cake" or more popularly as the "Pink city", Jaipur is impressive in its planning. Built in 1727, Jaipur draws its name from an astronomer-prince Sawai Jaisingh 11.Ringed by a crenellated wall. punctuated with 22 feet high seven gates and criss-crossed by well laid out avenues, Jaipur is dazzling in its palaces, forts, gardens and intriguing bazaars. It is the home of jewelers and gold enamellers, brass engravers, tie-dyers, mirror-work embroiderers, potters, colour paper makers, carpet weavers, painters and traditional cobblers. Famous sights include Hawamahal or Palace of Winds, a five storey latticed grand stand; the spectacular City Palace with its priceless treasure of costumes, artifacts and armour; Jantar Manta - the observatory of heavens; Rambagh Palace - once the royal residence, now a luxury hotel; the mighty Amber fort and the imposing Nahargarh fort - that echo I the lives of and times of the chivalrous Rajputs. Chittorgarh Reduced to ruins three times by marauding invaders, Chittor resurrected phoenix-like to become the ultimate symbol of Rajput chivalry and sacrifice. It was here that hundreds of Rajput women committed Joha - self-immolation - in order to protect their honour when , Chittor fell in the 15th century to the overwhelming might of Alauddin, the Khilji ruler of Delhi. Famous sights include the 37 m high Vijay Stambh or Victory Tower, the massive 700 acre fort, Rani Padmini's palace and the holy Meera's temple. . Udaipur , . ~.Nestling among verdant hills, this beautiful 16th century city is considered to be the most romantic spot in India. Its gleaming silver lakes and fairy tale palaces, sparkling fountains and lush gardens are unforgettable - evoking a wistful mood of old-world romance and nostalgia. Famous sight include the Lake Palace, once a loyal island retreat and now a luxury hotel on Lake Pichola; the grand city Palace with its scalloped arches, fretted balconies and cupolas; the Saheliyon-ki-Bari or Garden of Maids; the Nehru park - a tiny island dappled with date palms; and the Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal or Folk arts emporium. Jaisalmer A mammoth sand castle rising like a mirage out of the desert - that is the look of Jaisalmer,the ancient citadel on the caravan route linking India with Persia, Arabia and the Mediterranean. This architectural dream in the lonely, yellow silence of the Thar desert was built in the 12th century by Jaisal, a Bhatti prince. Its narrow lanes zigzag through intricately carved facades of houses and mansions. Famous sights include the beautiful Patwon-ki-Haweli, the Gandhisagar tank and the exquisitely carved Jain temple. Jodhpur The fortified city, gateway to the great Thar desert is crowned by the spectacular Mehrangarh fott'The city was founded in 1459 by Prince Jodha of the Rathore clan. A 10 km. long wall encircles this medieval kingdom, where one can still savour the lifestyle and charm of a bygone era. Famous sights include the Jaswant Thada - the white marble cenotaph and the Ummaid Bhawan Palace. Bharatpur Founded in 1733 by Maharajah Surajmal, Bharatpur is the eastern gateway of Rajasthan, better known for its world famous 52 square Km. bird sanctuary called Keoladeo National o Park. Originally a royal duck shooting reserve, this sanctuary attracts migrant birds in -o large numbers from the Arctic, Siberia, Central Asia, Tibet and China. eo <.0 <.0 67 1 PromoUolW SIdDs: Case,StucUes-l Faiehpur Sikri Built by the Mughal emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikrior city of victory was soon abandoned' because of acute water shortage. Today, it lives on in all its red sandstone splendour, but it has the strange empty look of a new, unlived city even after 400 years. Agra The bustling: buzzing ancient Mughal capital, whose life is the inimitable Taj Mabal; other equally impressive monuments that herald the zenith in Mughal art and architecture I are its master craftsmen and its exotic handicrafts, carpets and stone-encrusted marble artifacts. Agra is considered the pride of Mughal cities. Famous sights include the Agra fort. SOME USEFUL BOOKS FOR THIS BLOCK i 1, A.L. Basham The Wonder That Was India, Rupa, 1'990. Dharamrajan and Seth Tourism (n India, New Delhi, 1994. Erdman, Joan L (ed.) Arts Patronage i~ India, New Delhi, 1993. Subita Chopra Tourism Development in India, New Delhi, 1993. ,ACTIVITIES FOR TIDS BLOCK f I ~~ ',I, v" I Activity I i ( 'I Suppose you work in the Tourism Department of your State. A one week promotional event is to be organised in another State. List the tourism products of your State that you think should be visually displayed during the event. I Activity 2 What cultural items of your State would you like to present in the event mentioned in Activity-I. I. Activity 3 Make a list of, the food specialities of your region which you think can be offered to the' tourists. I Activity 4 Make an itinerary for, a train covering places of tourist attraction in your State on the ' pattem of the Palace on Wheels. " I .(\ctlvity 5 0'" • Deliver a 15 minutes lecture on the Tourism Products of India to your, friends or colleagues. o o- o .:, !2 (l) (l)