HYDERABAD, India - India'S most famous spiritual guru, Sai Baba, died in his home town of Puttaparthi yesterday, prompting a national outpouring of grief.The afro-haired and saffron-robed "god man", credited with supernatural powers, was revered by prime ministers, celebrities, top businessmen and millions of ordinary people worldwide died early in the morning of heart failure at the age of 84 at least eight years earlier than the Hindu mystic had himself foretold.
The announcement of his passing away shocked million of his devotees and followers in India and abroad and thousands of people started pouring into the ashram town famous for Sai Baba’s Prashanti Nilayam operation. - The people, including women, were openly crying and wailing in memory of Baba. “This is the end of the world for us. It is unbearable”, said Vijayamma, a 60-year-old resident of Puttaparthy.
Security was tightened and more tan 6,000 policemen were deployed in and around the town as top political leaders and celebrities among his devotees started reaching the town. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, governor ESL Narsimhan and Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin among the first to arrive.
All shops and business establishments closed, Puttparthy was enveloped in silence.On Friday, the state government of Andhra Pradesh erected crowd-control barriers and large screens across Puttaparthi in anticipation of Sai Baba's televised funeral procession, and rushed police reinforcements in to cope with an anticipated influx of thousands of mourners.
Satya Sai Baba was born in a poor family as Satyanarayana Raju had declared himself the reincarnation of another saint, Sai Baba of Shirdi in Maharashtra. Known for his teaching of “love all, hurt no body”, Sai Baba’s network of trust and charity organisations were spread in several countries.- As the Baba became famous for his “miracle powers”, including producing gold jewellery and sacred ash from thin air, he started attracting followers from far and wide.
Infighting has already begun within Sai Baba's trust with office holders and family members said to be bickering over the succession plan and the spoils of his empire.Sai Baba did not marry and is not known to have any children, but his relatives were reportedly moving to usurp the rights of the trust to manage his legacy.
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