Thaindian News

Puttaparthi (Andhra Pradesh), April 27 (IANS) Hundreds of thousands bid a tearful farewell to Sathya Sai Baba Wednesday as the spiritual leader was laid to rest with state honours at his Prashanti Nilayam ashram, his base from where he presided over a mass global following.

The coffin of the 85-year-old was lowered into a grave during the nearly two-hour ceremony at Sai Kulwant Hall, where the godman gave “darshan” to his devotees and delivered discourses for decades.

The burial was in keeping with the practice for Hindu spiritual gurus.

Amid chanting of Vedic hymns and Sai mantras, a team of 18 priests led by Kandukoori Kondavadhani performed the rituals.

While nearly half the ceremony was open to those present in the hall, including a litany of politicians and bureaucrats, the burial was performed by only a handful of relatives and disciples besides priests.

Outside Prashanti Nilayam and across the town, despite the searing weather, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children watched the last rites on giant screens. Many broke down, knowing they would never again see in flesh and blood a man they viewed as god.

Many more devotees in India watched the burial live on television.

Sai Baba’s nephew R.J. Ratnakar sprinkled holy water brought from seven rivers on the mortal remains. He also performed ‘dasha danam’ or donation of 10 items including cow, land and clothes as per the Hindu customs.

Ratnakar, son of Sai Baba’s brother, became emotional while performing the last rites. Sai Baba’s caregiver Satyajit was seated near the coffin.

Later, the godman was laid to rest in a 3 by 6 by 4.5 ft deep pit at a private ceremony behind curtains. The pit was filled with Kurukshethra soil, salt, silver, gold and navaratnas, symbolising nine planets.

In their homage to a man who never spoke against any religion, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Jewish priests also read out their scriptures before the rituals began around 9 a.m.

Disciples of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama also attended the last rites.

A guard of honour was given by the Andhra Pradesh Police who came in a slow march and draped the national flag on the transparent casket, before the body was moved for the burial.

The buglers sounded the Last Post and policemen fired three shots in the air outside the hall.

After the burial ceremony, the curtains were moved to enable VIPs to sprinkle ‘vibuthi’ or sacred ash on the grave.

The event was bristling with VIPs.

These included Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) star and former deputy prime minister L.K. Advani, Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and several ministers from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Hundreds of devotees stood in long queues to pray at the samadhi, which was open to public in the afternoon after the last rites. The people will be allowed for two days before the trust starts building a memorial and install an idol of Sai Baba.

Many thousands of devotes had their last darshan of Sai Baba till Tuesday midnight in Puttaparthi, a small town in Anantapur district.

The controversial spiritual guru died Sunday, 28 days after he was admitted to hospital with multi-organ dysfunction. During this period, thousands here and across the country prayed for his recovery.

Born at Puttaparthi in 1926, Sai Baba declared himself an ‘avatar’ at the age of 14. Over the decades, he acquired a pan-India following of millions cutting across languages and faiths.

The town continues to mourn the man who not only made it a global pilgrim centre but transformed the once faceless hamlet into a bustling place with modern infrastructure as well as medical and educational facilities.