Sai Baba's Maha Samadhi opened to public

Puttaparthi (AP), Jul 15: Satya Sai Baba's ''Maha Samadhi'' was today (Jul 15) opened to devotees for darshan at Prasanthi Nilayam here on the auspicious occasion of ''Guru Purnima''.

Thousands of devotees assembled at the Sai Kulwant Hall in Prasanthi Nilayam, where the Samadhi is located, bringing back festive atmosphere in the town. Sai Baba used to give darshan at the Sai Kulwant hall and ''Guru Purnima'' has importance in the calendar of events in Puttaparthi.

The rectangular-shaped ''Maha Samadhi'' is a white marble edifice which was decorated with flowers. Andhra Pradesh ministers J Raghuveera Reddy, J Geeta Reddy, senior VHP leader Ashok Singhal were among those who had darshan of the memorial after it was unveiled.

Police have put elaborate security arrangements in place in Puttaparthi. Satya Sai Baba passed away on April 24 due to cardio-respiratory failure after undergoing treatment for about a month in the super-specialty hospital run by the Satya Sai Trust.

The mortal remains of Satya Sai Baba were laid to rest with state honours at the Sai Kulwanth hall on April 27 as a host of prominent personalities and thousands of devotees watched the event.

PTI