page_title: Sathya Sai Baba
section_title: Funeral and mourning
hierarchical_section_title: Sathya Sai Baba / Biography / Old age, illness and death / Funeral and mourning
caption_attribution_description: Photograph of Sathya Sai Baba Samadhi at Puttaparthi, India
context_page_description: Sathya Sai Baba was an Indian guru and philanthropist. At the age of fourteen he claimed that he was the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, and left his home in order to serve the society and be an example to his followers.
  Sathya Sai Baba's materialisations of vibhuti and other small objects such as rings, necklaces, and watches were a source of controversy for the agnostics and non believers. Some have analyzed them as being mere sleights of hand, while his followers have considered them as signs of his divinity. Reports of faith healings have been attributed to Sathya Sai Baba by his followers.
  The Sathya Sai Organisation, founded by Sathya Sai Baba "to enable its members to undertake service activities as a means to spiritual advancement", has over 1,200 Sathya Sai Centres in 126 countries. Through this organisation, Sathya Sai Baba established a network of free super speciality and general hospitals, clinics, drinking water projects, a university, auditoriums, ashrams and schools.
context_section_description: His body lay in state for two days and was buried with full state honours on 27 April 2011. An estimated 500,000 people attended the burial. Political leaders and prominent figures attending included Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi (who later became Prime Minister of India), cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Union Ministers S. M. Krishna and Ambika Soni.
  Political leaders who offered their condolences included the then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Dalai Lama. Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, whose birthday was that day, cancelled his birthday celebrations. The Hindu newspaper reported that "Sri Sathya Sai Baba's propagation of spiritualism and preaching of Hindu philosophy never came in the way of his commitment to secular beliefs."
  The Government of Karnataka declared 25 and 26 April as days of mourning and Andhra Pradesh declared 25, 26, and 27 April as days of mourning.
caption: Swamigal's Prashanthi Nilayam at Puttaparthi
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