Tweet
Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh: Thousands of devotees bid a tearful farewell to one of India's most revered spiritual gurus, Satya Sai Baba, as he was laid to rest at the Sai Kulwant Hall of the Prashanti Nilayam Ashram, in Anantapur district, on Wednesday.
The ceremony, held for nearly two hours, was marked by elaborate religious rites and state honours.
Priests from different communities offered prayers, urging devotees to follow the path of "truth and love" as advocated by Sai Baba.
The religious ceremony was conducted by priests from the Rajahmundry district, and lead by Kondakuri Kondavadhani.
Sai Baba's nephew, Ratnakar, sprinkled holy water on the body as part of a ritual.
Four men from the Andhra Pradesh Special Police marched in with the Indian flag, which they placed over the glass coffin containing Sai Baba's body, witnessed by over 25,000 men and women. Police also fired 14 rounds into the air as part of a gun salute.
VIPs at the funeral included governors of Andhra Pradesh and Punjab states, E.S.L. Narasimhan and Shivraj Patil, both of whom are devotees of Sai Baba.
Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and B.S. Yeddiyurappa, former deputy prime minister L. K. Advani, senior BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu were also present at the event.
Once all religious rites were completed, the body was lowered into the grave, shielded from the public eye. As per Hindu religious customs, women are not supposed to witness a burial.
After half an hour of rituals - during which precious gems, including gold and silver jewellery, were placed on the body - the curtains were finally lifted to allow VIPs to be the first to pay respect.
