Thousands of people from across the country including delegates from 226 countries gathered at Puttaparthi to take part in the 85th birthday celebrations of Satya Sai Baba in the Anantapur district.
The Sai devotees made a beeline to Satya Sai Hill View Stadium since morning, where the official celebrations would be held.
With students of the Satya Sai Seva Trust chanting of Vedas amidst devotional music, Sai Baba came to Hill View Stadium in a Golden Chariot and blessed the surging crowd, even as helicopters hovered above, showering rose petals.
The programme will conclude in the evening with Prema Pravaham, a special concert by Swami’s students glorifying his mission and message for humanity.
The devotees sang songs and performed bhajans praising the Baba’s humanity and glorified his mission.
Meanwhile, the RTC was operating special buses to meet the huge rush of pilgrims.
The police have made tight security arrangements to prevent any untoward incidents to mark the commemoration of Sai’s birthday.
The police erected barricades at the Prashanthi Nilayam to control the smooth passage of devotees. To regulate traffic, the police stopped vehicles two kilometers away from ashram.