Indian Train Names Inspired by Literature, Poetry and Poets

Indian Train names have an interesting history. Mostly, trains get their names from the source and destination station, or the region. Sometimes they are named after an event or personality. We all know that. However, to my surprise there are many Indian train names that come from Indian Literature. poetry and authors. Come with me to know some of these:

Indian Train Names Inspired by Literature

1. Kamayani Express – Mumbai to Balia in Bihar

It is named after Kamayani, written in 1936 by Jaishankar Prasad of Varanasi. He is a famous name in modern Hindi literature. His most famous work, Kamayani, an epic poem, tells the story of the great flood. Its central characters are Manu, Shraddha and Ida representing human psyche, love, and rationality respectively. They also represent the triad of knowledge, action and desires or Iccha, Gyan and Kriya Shakti, three primary forms of energy required to achieve or create anything.

Kamayani Express connects Mumbai with Balia in Bihar now, but was initially connecting Mumbai and Varanasi, the city of Jaishankar Prasad.

2. Gitanjali Express – Mumbai to Kolkata

Gitanjali written by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore way back in 1910 needs no introduction. It is the creation that won him the Nobel prize in Literature. It is a collection of poems that offer divine offerings of love. They are a part of Rabindra Sangeet. I hope to read them in original Bengali someday as translations can never do justice.

The train connects Mumbai with Howrah – the main station of the city of Kolkata, the city of Rabindranath Tagore. You can still visit his home at Jorasanko Thakurbari in Kolkata.  It covers almost 2000 kms to take you from Arabian Sea to Bay of Bengal and connects two of the oldest railway stations in India.

3. Amrapali Express: Katihar in Bihar to Amritsar in Punjab

Amrapali, was a nagarvadhu or royal courtesan of Vaishali in present day Bihar. She lived around 500 BC and was the furst female to take Deeksha in Buddhism. She hosted a huge meal for the Buddhist monks and followed them to become a Bhikuni. She was named Amrapali as she was found at the foot of a mango tree in the royal gardens of Vaishali. Her story is immortalized in the famous novel Vaishali Ki Nagarvadhu by Acharya Chatursen.

Train covers about 1800 kms in 38+ hours passing through the states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.

4. Basava Express – Mysore to Bagalkot…