Pilgrimage Tours from Kolkata: Sacred Journeys by Train
Travel Tips · 8 July 2026 · 7 min read
Four Jyotirlingas, multiple Satipeeths, the holiest Buddhist sites in the world and ancient Jain pilgrimage peaks: all reachable from Kolkata by train. A complete guide to pilgrimage travel from Kolkata.
Kolkata is one of the best-positioned cities in India for pilgrimage travel by train. Within a single overnight journey, you can reach four of the 12 Jyotirlingas, multiple Satipeeths, the holiest Buddhist sites in the world and ancient Jain pilgrimage peaks. Here is how to plan a pilgrimage tour from Kolkata that is genuinely meaningful.
Varanasi (Kashi) is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world and the holiest in Hinduism. The dawn boat ride on the Ganga, when priests perform their puja by the river and the first light touches the ghats, is one of the most profound travel experiences in India regardless of your faith. The Kashi Vishwanath temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, sits minutes from the ghats behind a narrow lane.
Prayagraj (Allahabad), 2 hours from Varanasi by train, holds Triveni Sangam: the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythological Saraswati rivers. The Sangam is a pilgrimage destination year-round, drawing millions during the Maha Kumbh (every 12 years) and Ardh Kumbh (every 6 years).
Deoghar in Jharkhand holds the Baidyanath Dham temple: one of the 12 Jyotirlingas and one of the 51 Satipeeths. By overnight train from Howrah (Kumbha Express, 1pm departure, Jasidih arrival around 5pm), Deoghar is the most accessible major pilgrimage site from Kolkata. The Trikut Pahar hill offers a ropeway with views across surrounding forests. During Shravan month (July to August), the Shravani Mela draws millions of pilgrims who walk the 108-kilometre Kanwar route from Sultanganj on the Ganga.
Bodhgaya, where the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, is 7 to 8 hours from Howrah by overnight train to Gaya. The Mahabodhi Temple UNESCO World Heritage Site is the most sacred site in Buddhism. Nalanda, the world's first university (founded 5th century AD, destroyed 1193 AD), is 90 kilometres from Gaya. Rajgir, where the Buddha spent monsoon seasons teaching on Gridhrakuta hill, is 12 kilometres from Nalanda.
Sasaram in Bihar, 7 hours from Howrah, holds the Sher Shah Suri Mausoleum: one of the finest examples of Afghan-Indian architecture in existence, set on an island platform in a lake. In the Kaimur hills nearby, the Maa Mundeswari Temple (one of the oldest continuously functioning Hindu temples in India, with inscriptions from 635 AD) draws pilgrims from across Bihar.
West Bengal itself holds multiple Satipeeths: sites where parts of Sati's body fell and became sacred. Tarapith in Birbhum (4 hours from Howrah, Rampurhat station) is among the most powerful of these: a tantric temple adjacent to an active cremation ground, associated with the 18th-century mystic Bamakhepa. Kankalitala near Santiniketan and Bakreswar hot spring are accessible the same day.
Parasnath in Jharkhand is the most sacred Jain pilgrimage site in India. At 1,350 metres, it is the highest peak in Jharkhand. The main circuit walk (about 18 km) passes 24 shrines built at spots where the 24 Jain tirthankaras are said to have attained moksha. The walk takes most pilgrims 6 to 7 hours and is best started at 4am. The Deoghar-Giridih-Madhupur package from Simana Chhariye includes a visit to the Parasnath hills on Day 3.
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