Aboard the Golden Chariot - Karnataka's answer to the Palace on Wheels (PICS)

A ride aboard the Golden Chariot – Karnataka’s luxury tourist train and answer to the famous Palace on Wheels. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, really.

For those of you, who still haven’t heard of this special train, here’s some background: The train goes on a 8 day journey covering Bangalore, Mysore, Srirangapatna, Kabini, Belur-Halebid, Sravanabelagola, Hampi, Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal, Goa and then back to Bangalore. Tickets are priced at $350/per head/per night that makes the entire week approx $2450 (or Rs 1 lakh)/head, comparable to the pricing of the Palace on wheels. It’s mainly geared at showcasing Karnataka to overseas visitors and giving them an experience of the culture, history and heritage of the state over the 8 days and 7 nights.

Needless to say, the experience of riding on the trial run of the train was quite out of the