PM Modi, Sachin Tendulkar, Aishwarya Rai attend Sri Sathya Sai Baba's birth centenary celebration in Andhra Pradesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the holy shrine and 'Mahasamadhi' of Sri Sathya Sai Baba in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, on Wednesday and offered his obeisance and paid respects. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan were also present with PM Modi.

Before that, PM Modi held a roadshow while on his way to Puttaparthi to attend the birth centenary celebrations of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. People gathered in large numbers to welcome PM Modi.

A video shared by news agency ANI showed PM Modi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Union Ministers Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, G Kishan Reddy and others attending the birth centenary celebrations of Sri Sathya Sai Baba in Puttaparthi.

The area has been secured with barricades, and police have been deployed to ensure safety and protocol during the Prime Minister's visit.

PM Modi's full schedule

According to an official release by the PMO, PM Modi participated in the Centenary Celebrations of Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

On this occasion, he was scheduled to release a Commemorative Coin and a set of Stamps honouring the life, teachings, and enduring legacy of Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He will also address the gathering during the programme.

Thereafter, the Prime Minister was expected to travel to Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, and inaugurate the South India Natural Farming Summit at around 1:30 PM, according to the release.

The Summit will focus on creating market linkages for farmer-producer organisations and rural entrepreneurs, while showcasing innovations in organic inputs, agro-processing, eco-friendly packaging, and indigenous technologies.

Over 50,000 farmers, natural farming practitioners, scientists, organic input suppliers, sellers, and stakeholders from Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh will participate in the summit.

Who was Sri Sathya Sai Baba?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba was one of the most revered spiritual teachers and had millions of people across the world.

He was born as Sathyanarayana Raju on November 23, 1926 in the village of Puttaparthi, in Andhra Pradesh. He died on April 24, 2011, at the age of 84.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba, born in 1926, had declared that he was Shirdi Baba come again, as per Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences.

(With inputs from ANI)