Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, devotees and well-wishers gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj on July 22, 2018, at Long Beach, California.
The celebration began with Sadguru Pujya Ghanshyamcharandas Swami, Pujya Anandswarupdas Swami and Pujya Bhadreshdas Swami recalling moments with Pramukh Swami Maharaj, and followed by a Vedic ceremony of his sacred remains. As part of the Asthipushpa Pujan, prayers were offered for world peace and inner peace for all. Each devotee was given the unique opportunity to place flowers at the kalash in tribute to Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
Pramukh Swami Maharaj passed away in Sarangpur, India, on August 13, 2016, at the age of 95. Between 1974-2014, he visited the United States fourteen times including ten visits throughout the Western United States, culminating in the murti pratishtha of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chino Hills, California on September 15, 2007.
After the Vedic ceremony swamis, devotees, and well-wishers boarded a boat and spread a small portion of the sacred remains of Pramukh Swami Maharaj in the Pacific Ocean. Similar ceremonies were performed across bodies of water throughout the world, including holy rivers of India, such as the Gondali, Narmada, Sabarmati, and Ganga; in Africa at the Nile near Jinja, Uganda; River Thames in London; Niagara Falls, Canada; the Hudson River in New York; the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.; and recently, the Gold Coast and Perth, Australia.