Thousands of people from across the country including delegates from 226 countries gathered at Puttaparthi to take part in the 85th birthday celebrations of Sathya Sai Baba in Anantapur district.
The Sai devotees made a beeline to Sathya Sai Hill View Stadium where the official celebrations would be held.
With students of the Sathya 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 program 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 incident to mark the commemoration of Sai Baba's birthday.
The police erected barricades at Prashanthi Nilayam to ensure smooth passage of devotees. To regulate traffic, the police stopped vehicles 2 kilometers away from ashram.