Indian Spiritual Leader Sai Baba Dies
The spiritual leader and revered guru Sri Satya Sai Baba has passed away at the age of 84 in Puttaparthi, India.
He had been admitted to hospital last month suffering kidney failure, his doctor said that he eventually died following a cardiac arrest.
He was one of India’s most famous spiritual leaders with millions of followers around the world and fated by India’s rich and famous, many of whom became his followers.
The area surrounding his home was turned into a sprawling metropolis of hotels, education facilities, ashram and even an airport as his fame spread in the 1950′s.
To many in India he was a living God, (an Avatar) he was said to have mystical powers which allowed him to conjure objects out of thin air, but he was a controversial figure to others.
Some former followers accused him of sexual abuse which he always denied and no action was taken against him by the authorities.
To his millions of followers around the world he was the reincarnation of the spiritual leader Shirdi Sai Baba, who had lived in the 19th century, and devotees are gathering to grieve and pray, perhaps the chance to see his body one last time in the Darshan ceremony.
His organisation has financed hospitals and care for the poor in India where a large percentage of the population live below the poverty line.
Photo: Wolfiewolf
