Paying last respects

27 April 2011 08:11 am

Indian police officials spread the national flag on the transparent casket containing the body of Hindu guru Sathya Sai Baba inside Prashanthi Nilayam in the village of Puttaparthi, some 200kms north of Bangalore on April 27, 2011.  Hundreds of thousands of devotees gathered for the funeral of Sathya Sai Baba, one of India's most influential spiritual leaders who enjoyed a global following. While cremation is the most common practice at Hindu funerals, Sai Baba was buried in the custom accorded to Hindu holy men. The charismatic guru, who died on April 24, of multiple organ failure aged 85, was interred under the podium where he gave many teachings in the main hall of his ashram in the southern town of Puttaparthi.  AFP PHOTO