Atal Bihari Vajpayee's ashes immersed in 6 spots in Tamil Nadu simultaneously

Chennai: The ashes of former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee were kept at Kanyakumari Zero Point - where he had performed Bhoomi Pooja for the four-laning of Kanyakumari to Panangudi in 2004 - before being immersed in the sea. The BJP stalwart’s ashes were simultaneously immersed at six places throughout Tamil Nadu on Sunday.

In the city, his ashes were immersed in the sea near Ashta Lakhsmi temple in Besant Nagar by party state president Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan along with party workers. In Nagercoil, headquarters of Kanyakumari district, Union Minister of State for Finance and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan took out the Asthi Kalash Yatra from his camp office to Kanyakumari sea for the ‘Visarjan’ or immersion.

While party MP L. Ganesan immersed the ashes at Cauvery at Srirangam, BJP national secretary H. Raja immersed it at Rameswaram, former state president and Coir Board Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan immersed the ashes at Bhavani in Erode district, BJP’s former state president K.N. Lakshman and party senior M. R. Gandhi, along with party workers immersed Vajpayee’s ashes in Vagai river in Madurai.

Earlier, the leaders carried the urns containing the former PM’s ashes in a procession for the immersion. The ‘kalasms’ were kept at the BJP state headquarters – Kamalalayam, here for two days from Thursday, after they were brought from New Delhi, to enable the leaders, party workers and the public to pay the homage. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, DMK working president M. K. Stalin and leaders of other parties had paid their respects.

From Kamalalayam, the urns were taken in a procession to various parts of the State for the final immersion. BJP also organised ‘Shradhanjalis’ during the Asthi Kalash Yatra.