Indian spiritual guru Satya Sai Baba’s final rites were conducted today in the town of Puttaparthy in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Sai Baba was put to rest at his ashram in the form of a Samadhi.
The rituals of the final rites were performed by Sai Baba’s nephew RJ Ratnakar. Ratnakar was guided by nine priest, with strict traditional rituals along with the chanting of the vedic chants at the Sai Kulwant Hall.
The ceremony wasn’t open for the general public but was attended by the VIPs of the country, which included some of the politicians like Venkaiah Naidu, LK Advani Narsimhan, Shivraj V PAtil, Kiran Kumar Reddy and BS Yeddyurappa.
The devotees of Sai Baba had believed that Satya Sai was a reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba. During the rituals verses were chanted by the religious leaders of Sikhism, Buddhism, Judaism, Bahai and Christianity. The spiritual leader was offered nine types of grains, nine precious stones and water from nine rivers. Sai Baba was buried lying down on his back. After the burial the first prayers were offered by the politicians, who were present at the ceremony. The public would be allowed to offer prayers to the Samadhi in the afternoon.
