Indian Guru Dies
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Sathya Sai Baba, one of India's most famous holy men, has died.
He died of heart failure Sunday morning in a hospital near his ashram in Puttaparti village in southern Andhra Pradesh state. He had been hospitalized since late last month.
The 85-year-old Hindu guru, who always dressed in orange robes with his afro-style hairdo, was considered a living god by his worldwide followers.
India has ordered a heavy police deployment to Puttaparti for the hundreds of thousands of devotees expected to make the pilgrimage there for Sai Baba's funeral.
Sai Baba claimed to be the reincarnation of another holy man, Sai Baba of Shirdi, who died in 1918.
From his ashram in Puttaparti, Sai Baba built an empire of schools and health centers that helped to spread his influence.
While his charitable work and teachings brought Sai Baba public respectability, his showman antics in which he would miraculously produce gold coins or watches on stage at public events also brought him critics and notoriety.
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