Hyderabad, Oct. 30: Hyderabad’s Banaras Girls are bringing a fresh approach to spiritual tourism by combining religious journeys with cultural exploration, heritage and organised group travel. Neha Rajgarhia, 46, and Radhika Jalan, 51, founded NR TravelBuddyz in 2024 to help travellers experience India’s spiritual destinations beyond conventional pilgrimages.
The duo have organised around 27 journeys, attracting more than 1,000 participants across destinations such as the Kumbh Mela, Ayodhya, Varanasi and Kolkata. Their more than 20 visits to Varanasi have earned them the affectionate nickname ‘Banaras Girls’.
Their approach reflects a growing interest in journeys that combine faith, local traditions, food, art and community experiences.
Five Ways Hyderabad’s Banaras Girls Are Redefining Spiritual Tourism
1. Making Spirituality Relevant to Younger Travellers
Younger travellers often seek experiences that combine history, cuisine, culture and exploration with religious significance. NR TravelBuddyz aims to bring these interests together through curated journeys.
A visit to Varanasi, for example, can introduce travellers to the city’s spiritual atmosphere, historic neighbourhoods and cultural traditions. Similarly, a journey to Ayodhya can combine religious visits with opportunities to understand the destination’s heritage.
The aim is to make spiritual travel engaging for different generations without losing sight of its religious significance.
2. Reimagining Religious Travel Through Curated Journeys
Organising a successful group trip requires careful planning, coordination and an understanding of travellers’ expectations. Neha and Radhika draw on their repeated visits to Varanasi and their experience of organising journeys to shape their travel offerings.
“We identified a gap for well-curated group journeys that allow people to experience India’s spiritual destinations comfortably and meaningfully. Many travellers want to visit these places but prefer someone to take care of the planning, arrangements and overall experience. That is the need we set out to address,” the founders said.
Their approach focuses on the overall travel experience rather than treating each destination as a standard package.
3. Making Spiritual Travel More Accessible for Women and Senior Citizens
Travel arrangements can be challenging for senior citizens, women travelling independently and people unfamiliar with a destination. Transport, accommodation, local navigation and crowded public spaces can add to the complexity of a pilgrimage.
Organised group journeys can ease these challenges by bringing transport, accommodation and itineraries together. NR TravelBuddyz caters to couples, senior citizens, younger travellers and unmarried participants.
The founders said the positive feedback they have received from older travellers about the care taken during trips has been particularly encouraging.
Thoughtful planning and clear communication can help more people explore spiritual destinations with greater confidence. Understanding the needs of different age groups and independent travellers remains important when designing such journeys.
4. Bringing Faith and Culture Together
India’s spiritual destinations are closely connected with music, cuisine, architecture, crafts, festivals and community traditions. NR TravelBuddyz’s Kolkata journey illustrates how these elements can become part of a broader travel experience.
Its AMAARMONI – Shubho Puja 2026: Celebrating the Spirit of Bengal programme brought 30 participants to Kolkata from October 12 to 14. The itinerary introduced them to the city’s celebrated Durga Puja festivities.
Participants experienced elaborately decorated pandals, traditional welcomes accompanied by dhol beats, Bengali music and dance, Sindoor Khela, a Bengali sit-down lunch and shopping opportunities featuring sarees, handicrafts and local products.
The programme offered more than a visit to a religious celebration. It provided an opportunity to experience Bengal’s artistic traditions, food and community participation.
Kolkata’s Durga Puja was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021, recognising its importance as a living cultural tradition.
Such experiences can also create opportunities for local artisans, vendors and tourism businesses while helping visitors understand the cultural identity of a destination.
5. Building a Travel Venture Through Experience
Since its launch in 2024, NR TravelBuddyz has organised around 27 journeys with more than 1,000 participants. Its destinations span major religious gatherings, pilgrimage centres and cultural celebrations, reflecting the variety of experiences available across India.
The venture’s growth has involved catering to travellers with different expectations. Some prioritise religious devotion, while others are interested in heritage, local culture, companionship and the convenience of organised travel.
Bringing these interests together requires careful itinerary planning and attention to the needs of the group.
For Neha and Radhika, their experience has helped shape a distinctive offering within the travel sector, while their repeated journeys to Varanasi have become an important part of their identity as the ‘Banaras Girls’.
A New Dimension to Spiritual Tourism
India’s sacred destinations have long attracted pilgrims, but travellers increasingly have opportunities to explore the cultural and social traditions surrounding them.
By combining spiritual discovery with cultural immersion and organised group travel, NR TravelBuddyz is exploring an approach that extends beyond the conventional pilgrimage package.
For Hyderabad’s ‘Banaras Girls’, the aim is to help people experience India’s sacred destinations through not only the places they visit, but also the traditions, people and memories they encounter along the way.
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