Bollywood stars, celebrities visit body of India guru Sathya Sai Baba (VIDEO)
Bollywood stars, politicians and celebrities were among tens of thousands of devotees to pay homage Monday to Sathya Sai Baba, the famed Indian spiritual guru whose charities and claimed miracles won him both devotion and scorn.
Sports gods Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar were among followers who lined up for a last glimpse of the mystic, who died Sunday in a hospital funded by his organization in the town of Puttaparthi in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. He was 84.
A state funeral was scheduled for Tuesday. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, president of Indian National Congress, would arrive in Puttaparthi on Tuesday evening to pay their last respects, the Press Trust of India reported.
Sathya Sai Baba, admitted to hospital almost a month ago for multiple-organ failure, died after his heart and respiratory organs failed, A.N. Safaya, director at the Sri Sathya Sai Baba Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, said in a statement on the hospital’s website. The hospital avoided using the word "dead," noting that "Sai Baba is no more with us physically."
Hard Rock Café founder Isaac Tigrett reportedly sold his stake in the restaurant chain and donated the entire proceeds of $108 million to Sai Baba for the Puttaparthi hospital, which provides free health care to the rural poor.
Sai Baba claims to be the reincarnation of the great spiritual guru Sai Baba of Shirdi, who died in 1918 and is worshipped as a saint by Hindus, Muslims, and Christians.
The living Sai Baba, instantly recognizable because of his trademark saffron robes and Jimmi Hendrix-style frizzy 'do, has followers that number between 20 million and 50 million worldwide, the Washington Post reports. His ashram, the world's biggest with 50,000 visitors each day, offers “darshan,” or “a visit with God,” twice daily. His devotees call him a “godman” and the “Second Coming of Christ” and believe he can make objects materialize and perform other miracles.
Sai Baba’s critics, however, point to Sai Baba’s incredible wealth — more than $9 billion — and level accusations of fraud that sit alongside more serious claims of sexual abuse and murder.
The U.S. State Department had issued a warning against possible pedophilia offenses by Sai Baba toward young male devotees.
Hundreds of thousands of followers are expected to pay their respects and police have set up barriers to hold mourners back from the hospital.
“At least 200,000 devotees have paid their respects. Schools and other establishments are closed,” senior police official B. Narasimhalu told Bloomberg.
“He is going to live in our hearts permanently,” former Indian cricket captain Gavaskar told reporters in Puttaparthi, where Sai Baba built his ashram. “He will still continue to inspire us,” Gavaskar said.
— Freya Petersen