Lata Mangeshkar’s ashes immersed in Nashik’s Ramkund, family attends prayer ritual

The family of Lata Mangeshkar bid farewell to the legendary singer, who died on February 6. On Thursday, Lata Mangeshkar’s family members visited Nashik and immersed her ashes in the sacred Pavitra Ramkund on the banks of the Godavari River.

Lata’s nephew, Adinath Mangeshkar and other relatives were present at the funeral ceremony. A short prayer ritual was also conducted with the family and a few close friends in attendance, performed by Hindu priests.

A number of Nashik residents also thronged the Goda Ghat in the area to pay tributes to the melody queen. “She (Lata) was not my sister, but mother. All the rituals have been performed on an auspicious muhurat,” Usha Mangeshkar later told reporters. 

Nashik Purohit Sangh president Satish Shukla conducted the rituals. Nashik civic commissioner Kailas Jadhav and some local politicians were also present on the occasion. The city administration had made necessary arrangements for the rituals. A small platform and a pandal were erected at the site. Elaborate police security was deployed and vehicular traffic was prohibited in the area for some time. 

Lata died in a Mumbai hospital on Sunday morning after multi-organ failure. She was cremated at the Shivaji Park in Mumbai the same evening with full state honours. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among those who paid their last respects to the music icon at the Shivaji Park. On Monday, three urns containing the Lata Lata’s ashes were handed over to Adinath, the son of her brother and music composer Hridaynath Mangeshkar

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Born in Maharashtra on September 28, 1929, Lata first sang at religious gatherings with her father, who was also a trained singer. After she moved to Mumbai, India’s film industry capital, she became a star with immense popular appeal, enchanting audiences with her smooth but sharp voice and immortalizing Hindi music for decades to come.

(With inputs from PTI)