India: State funeral for Sai Baba, Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi attend
After a multi-faith ceremony in which Muslims, Christians and Sikhs read from their sacred texts, hundreds of thousands of people followed the body to its burial ground. The guru was not cremated but laid to rest in the public hall of his ashram in Andhra Pradesh, an honour reserved only to those ...
Puttaparthi – Hundreds of thousands of people took part in the funeral of Sai Baba, who was buried rather than cremated, a privilege reserved only for those Hindus consider saints. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi attended the ceremony.
Sai Baba was buried with full state honours inside the public hall in the ashram in Puttaparthi. Huge crowds followed the ceremony, singing and praying.
A multi-faith ceremony preceded the actual funeral. Muslim, Christian and Sikh clerics read from their scriptures before orange-robed Hindu priests took over. The service included a gun salute.
Sai Baba created a large movement with followers around the world.
In Kathmandu, about 30,000 followers met in the heart of the capital, singing hymns and saying prayers in front of a picture of the guru.
Hundreds of Nepalis left for India, but many of those who could not travel organised a parallel ceremony in the Kathmandu. “Come back, our dear almighty; we are all waiting for you! Sai! Our dear Sai”, the faithful sang. Some said they expect Sai Baba to rise again.
As popular as he was, Sai Baba was not free from controversies. He was accused of “organising” some of the miracles attributed to him. Some of his followers also accused him of sexual abuse, something he steadfastly denied.
Conversely, others see his work in a more positive light. “He did a lot of good in the poorest districts, opening schools and hospitals,” Bishop Moses D. Prakasam of Nellore told AsiaNews. “Through his compassion, he built water systems, provided water to the villages in Anantpur district, as well as irrigation. What he did is worthy of respect.”
After a multi-faith ceremony in which Muslims, Christians and Sikhs read from their sacred texts, hundreds of thousands of people followed the body to its burial ground. The guru was not cremated but laid to rest in the public hall of his ashram in Andhra Pradesh, an honour reserved only to those ...
Puttaparthi – Hundreds of thousands of people took part in the funeral of Sai Baba, who was buried rather than cremated, a privilege reserved only for those Hindus consider saints. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi attended the ceremony.
Sai Baba was buried with full state honours inside the public hall in the ashram in Puttaparthi. Huge crowds followed the ceremony, singing and praying.
A multi-faith ceremony preceded the actual funeral. Muslim, Christian and Sikh clerics read from their scriptures before orange-robed Hindu priests took over. The service included a gun salute.
Sai Baba created a large movement with followers around the world.
In Kathmandu, about 30,000 followers met in the heart of the capital, singing hymns and saying prayers in front of a picture of the guru.
Hundreds of Nepalis left for India, but many of those who could not travel organised a parallel ceremony in the Kathmandu. “Come back, our dear almighty; we are all waiting for you! Sai! Our dear Sai”, the faithful sang. Some said they expect Sai Baba to rise again.
As popular as he was, Sai Baba was not free from controversies. He was accused of “organising” some of the miracles attributed to him. Some of his followers also accused him of sexual abuse, something he steadfastly denied.
Conversely, others see his work in a more positive light. “He did a lot of good in the poorest districts, opening schools and hospitals,” Bishop Moses D. Prakasam of Nellore told AsiaNews. “Through his compassion, he built water systems, provided water to the villages in Anantpur district, as well as irrigation. What he did is worthy of respect.”
