Tehran/New Delhi, 04 July (H.S.): A multi-faith delegation of Indian religious leaders joined mourners and international representatives in Tehran on Friday to pay tribute to Iran's late Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, as the country began its state funeral ceremonies.

The delegation visited the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, where Ayatollah Khamenei's coffin was placed for public homage alongside the coffins of several members of his family who were also killed in the attack. Religious leaders, foreign dignitaries and thousands of mourners gathered at the venue to offer prayers and pay their final respects before the funeral procession moved to the next phase of the ceremonies.

The Indian religious delegation included prominent Sikh leader Giani Raghbir Singh, Juna Akhara chief Swami Avdheshanand Giri, senior Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad, and other Hindu, Sikh and Muslim religious representatives who were invited to attend the ceremony. They offered prayers and expressed condolences alongside clerics and faith leaders from several countries.

The religious delegation attended separately from India's official government delegation, which was represented by Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Lieutenant General (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain. Representing the Government of India, the two leaders conveyed condolences on behalf of the Government and the people of India during the state funeral ceremony held on Friday.

Apart from the official delegation, Congress leader Salman Khurshid and People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti were also present in Tehran after receiving invitations from the Iranian authorities to attend the funeral ceremonies.

According to Iranian authorities, the funeral ceremonies began on Friday in Tehran and will continue over several days. Following the ceremonies in the capital, the funeral procession will travel through the holy cities of Qom, Najaf and Karbala before the final burial ceremony at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad on July 9. Millions of mourners and delegations from dozens of countries are expected to participate in different stages of the funeral.

The state funeral is among the largest official ceremonies held in Iran in recent decades, with extensive security arrangements in place as the country observes national mourning in memory of its former Supreme Leader.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar