ALLAHABAD, India (AP) - Thousands of people have been paying tribute to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi as his body lies in state in northern India Sunday.

The body of the famed guru has been placed on a throne of flowers and seated in a lotus position. People have been filing past all day, throwing scarlet petals at his feet and chanting mantras.

Maharishi was celebrated for bringing meditation to the West. His teachings also gained medical acceptance after studies showed that meditation reduces stress and lowers blood pressure. Maharishi was believed to be 91 years old.

He will be cremated Monday at his retreat, which overlooks one of Hinduism's holiest sites at the confluence of the Ganges and Yammuna rivers.

Many thousands of Hindu pilgrims are visiting the holy site. But, along the river banks, talk of Maharishi was met with blank stares.

©2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.