Rajgir to offer horse driven royal chariots to the tourists

Patna, Tourists at Ghorakatora in Rajgir will soon travel in royal grandeur. Bihar State Tourism Department Corporation (BSTDC) is set to start horse-drawn chariots at the ecotourism spot.

These Victorian-style vehicles would help tourists cover the 7km distance from the ropeway at Rajgir to Ghorakatora Lake. As this area has been declared an ecological spot, motorised vehicles are not allowed.

At present, tourists utilise the service of six tum-tums (carriages) that ply on the route.

Naveen Kumar, the deputy general manager, BSTDC, said: “The corporation has recently placed an order for six-horse drawn chariots. These would ply on the 7km route from the ropeway at Rajgir to Ghorakatora Lake.

“Though the exact fares of the proposed chariots have not been finalised yet, it would be between Rs 150 and Rs 200 per person. The services would start in two months.”

Each chariot would cost BSTDC around Rs 2 lakh and would accommodate five people. Six of the best horses in the tum-tum service would be employed to pull the chariots.

The ecotourism facility at Ghorakatora was inaugurated on January 30 this year.

“The horse carriages are doing good business. On the very first day, they made 12 trips. Twenty trips were made on January 31, 14 on February 1, 15 trips on February 2, 31 trips on February 5 and 58 trips on February 6. At present, the visitors are offered a Rs 100 travel package which includes aerial ropeway ride to the Vishwa Shanti Stupa at a height of 400m at Rajgir, horse carriage ride to Ghorakatora and boat ride in the lake,” said Kumar.

Chariots apart, BSTDC is also planning to construct two more ecohuts in addition to the two near the lake in Ghorakatora. These huts are made of bamboo.

Moreover, the corporation will also provide aerial lighting using solar panels at this popular tourism destination.

“At present, there is no electricity at Ghorakatora, as it is an eco-friendly site. However, the solar panels are nature-friendly and thus apt for lighting up the place. This would help extend the visiting hours and tourists can stay here till late evening,” added Kumar.

Ghorakatora is situated around 120km south of Patna.

It has a number of scenic spots, including a lake, mountains, rich flora including medicinal plants.