Varishth Nagrik Tirth Yatra Yojana (Rajasthan Senior Citizen Pilgrimage Scheme)

What is Varishth Nagrik Tirth Yatra Yojana?

Varishth Nagrik Tirth Yatra Yojana is the Government of Rajasthan's free pilgrimage scheme for senior citizens, run by the Devasthan Department. The scheme takes Rajasthan residents aged 60 years and above on a religious journey by train or by air, and the state pays for everything. The travel, the stay, the meals and the doctors, nursing staff and escorts who go with the group.

The scheme's purpose, as the Devasthan Department frames it, is to give every eligible elderly resident of the state the chance to make at least one pilgrimage in their lifetime without the cost being the obstacle. In practice it reaches people who have wanted to see Kashi or Tirupati for decades and never had the money or the confidence to travel alone at that age, which is why the medical escort and the group organisation matter as much as the free ticket.

For the 2026 cycle, Rajasthan planned to send about 50,000 senior citizens by train and about 6,000 by air to Kathmandu for darshan at the Pashupatinath temple in Nepal, taking the total to roughly 56,000 beneficiaries.

Locally the scheme is called varishth nagrik tirth yatra yojana or simply the Devasthan tirth yatra.

Who is eligible for the Rajasthan senior citizen tirth yatra?

You can apply if:

• You are a permanent resident of Rajasthan.
• You are 60 years of age or above on the cut-off date notified for the cycle, for 2026 the reference date used was 1 April 2026.
• You are not an income tax payer.
• You are physically and mentally fit to travel, certified by a government medical officer.
• You have not previously travelled under this scheme.

You cannot apply if:

• You are below 60 years on the notified cut-off date.
• You are an income tax payer.
• You have already benefited from a pilgrimage under this scheme in an earlier year. The scheme is once in a lifetime per person.
• You are not a permanent resident of Rajasthan.
• You are medically unfit for the journey, or cannot obtain a government medical officer's fitness certificate.
• You fall in the excluded categories notified for the cycle. Government employees and retirees have been listed among the exclusions, so read the current year's notification carefully before applying.

For the air route to Nepal there is an additional restriction: it has been limited to applicants in the 60 to 80 age band, on medical grounds. Applicants above 80 remain eligible for the rail routes.

Where does the pilgrimage go?

The Devasthan Department notifies the route list afresh each cycle. The 2026 notification offered a set of rail routes covering major pilgrimage centres across India; reported destinations included Varanasi, Ayodhya, Tirupati, Rameshwaram and Jammu, and one air route flying from Delhi to Kathmandu for Pashupatinath, with pilgrims taken from Jaipur to Delhi by bus for the flight.

Applicants are asked to list their preferred destinations in order on the form. Allotment is then made against preference and seat availability, so nobody is guaranteed their first choice.

What does the state pay for?

There is no fee and no contribution from the traveller. Anyone charging money to "get your name in the tirth yatra list" is running a fraud: selection is by computerised lottery and cannot be arranged.

What documents are required?

The medical fitness certificate is the document that sinks most applications. It must come from a government medical officer, not a private clinic, and it must be current. Get it before the window opens rather than in the last week, when government dispensaries are crowded with other applicants doing the same thing.

How to apply for Varishth Nagrik Tirth Yatra Yojana

1. Watch for the annual notification from the Devasthan Department. The window is short, in 2026 it ran from 27 May 2026 to 10 June 2026.
2. Obtain the medical fitness certificate from a government medical officer, and keep your Aadhaar, Jan Aadhaar, residence proof, photograph and two emergency contact numbers ready.
3. Open the eDevasthan portal at devasthan.rajasthan.gov.in and select the Varishth Nagrik Tirth Yatra application, or take your documents to any e-Mitra kiosk and ask the operator to file the application for you. The e-Mitra route is the practical one for most applicants of this age.
4. Fill the application with your personal details, verify through Jan Aadhaar, and select your preferred destinations in order.
5. Declare your companion, if any, a spouse, or for applicants aged 70 and above, one attendant aged between 21 and 50.
6. Upload the medical certificate, photograph and supporting documents, then submit and save the application number and the printed acknowledgement.
7. Check the lottery result on the portal or through your district Devasthan office once selection is announced, and report for the departure briefing with the original documents if you are selected.

How are travellers selected?

Where applications exceed the seats available, which they routinely do, selection is made by a computerised district-level lottery. Two rules follow from this and cause the most disappointment when they are not understood:

• The seat is personal and non-transferable. Only the selected applicant may travel. A son cannot travel in a selected father's place, and no substitution is allowed at the station.
• Nobody can influence the lottery. Selection is not by recommendation. Refuse anyone offering to arrange a seat for money.

A district waiting list is usually drawn alongside the selected list, so an unselected applicant should still check whether they have been placed on it before assuming the year is lost.

How do I check my application and selection status?

Log back into the eDevasthan portal with your application number, or ask the e-Mitra operator who filed your form to pull up the status. Selection lists are also published district-wise by the Devasthan Department, and the district Devasthan office can confirm your position. Keep the printed acknowledgement. It carries the application number every enquiry starts from.

Common reasons for rejection

• Medical fitness certificate missing, expired, or issued by a private doctor instead of a government medical officer.
• Age below 60 on the notified cut-off date.
• Income tax payer status, which is an express disqualification.
• Previous travel under the scheme, detected on the departmental record.
• Jan Aadhaar mismatch, so residence and identity cannot be verified.
• Application filed after the closing date. The window is a fortnight, and late applications are not accepted.
• Attendant details wrong, an attendant outside the 21 to 50 age band, or an attendant claimed by an applicant under 70, or claimed by a couple travelling together.

What to expect on the journey

Each group travels with doctors, nursing staff, escorts and departmental officials, and the train coaches carry dedicated staff for passenger arrangements. Travellers should carry their regular medicines in sufficient quantity, their original identity documents, and a copy of the medical certificate. Report any chronic condition at the pre-departure briefing so the accompanying medical team is aware of it.

Help and grievance redressal

• Devasthan Department helplines: 0294-2410330 and 0141-2923654
• Devasthan Department, Udaipur office: 0294-2524813
• Official portal: devasthan.rajasthan.gov.in
• Rajasthan Sampark / CM Helpline: 181
• District level: the Assistant Commissioner / District Devasthan office

Varishth Nagrik Tirth Yatra Yojana is free from application to return journey. No e-Mitra operator may charge more than the notified service charge for filing the form, and no one can charge for selection.