ALLAHABAD: Amidst chanting of Vedic hymns, the mortal remains of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of Transcendental Meditation movement, were consigned to flames at the Arail ashram on Monday.
The pyre was lit by Maharishi's nephew Girish Verma in the presence of his successor Tony Nader, 35 rajas and a number of VIPs, including his disciple Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
The final journey of Maharishi towards a platform especially constructed for the funeral pyre started around 11 am. The body reached the cremation site at 11.50 am. A human chain of Maharishi's disciples was formed along the one kilometre route, who raised the slogan, " Ek do teen char, Maharishiji ki jayjaykaar ."
Amid chanting of 'Sri Ram Jay Ram Jay Jay Ram' and 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna', over 40,000 of Maharishi's followers thronged the ashram for a last glimpse of their guru. Women devotees from various countries wore white silk sarees and the vast campus was flooded with yellow flags.
The cremation site was designed under guidance of I K Hotman, Vastu and architectural expert from the US, and the guru's body was placed on the ground where dignitaries, including Maharajadhiraj Raja Ram and 35 other Rajas paid floral tributes.
Tributes were also paid by Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Vasudevanand Saras-wati, Ashok Singhal, district officials and the city mayor.
The remains would be picked on Tuesday and the ashes would be immersed in Sangam on Wednesday. The Shashtodhasi ceremony would take place on February 21.
