Close kin, VVIPs bid adieu to godman

Sand from the place where Kurukshetra was said to have originated and marble sourced from Rajasthan were used for the foundation.

Water from rivers including Cauvery, Krishna and Godavari was sprinkled on the memorial. During the laying of the body, the priests added “navaratnas” (nine types of gems), “sugandha dravyas” (perfumed water) and “vibhuti” (holy ash) to the pit.

Hindu chants echoed inside Kulawant Hall, just outside the Prashanthi Temple, with people, some weeping and some others consoling.

Giant portraits of the godman with his dark, frizzy hair and in his trademark saffron robes decorated the hall. Outside the auditorium, several thousand devotees watched the ceremony on a large screen.

Last respects

After the body was lowered and the “samadhi” made ready, VIPs including Andhra Pr­adesh Governor E S L Na­rasimhan, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, Rajasthan Governor K Shivraj Patil, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and former chief mi­nisters N Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh) and Ashok Chavan (Maharashtra) paid their last respects with prayers and by sprinkling holy ash.

Earlier in the morning, when the ceremony started with “arthi” inside the hall, police personnel waited outside, preparing for the state honour.