Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who passed away on Monday, was laid to rest with full state honours and 21 gun salute in Rameswaram today.
Here is the minute-by-minute update of the funeral.
12:17 pm The funeral proceedings are over.
12:12 pm Leaders observe two-minutes silence in the memory of the former President.
12:09 pm Family members of Kalam and Muslims offer prayers at his burial site.
11:51 am A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is laid to rest
11:47 am Family members offer special prayers before the burial.
11:46 am 21 Gun salutes fired
11:44 am Pall-bearers lift the mortal remains of Abdul Kalam.
11:38 am Friends and former colleagues of Abdul Kalam pay their last respects
11:36 am Tri-services personnel gather prepare for the farewell.
11:35 am Tri-services personnel ceremoiously remove the national flag from the body of the former President.
11:34 am Pay tributes to the India's Missile man >here
11:33 am MDMK chief Vaiko pays tribute
11:32 am Muslim leaders offer special prayers
11:30 am DMDK leader Vijayakant pays his tribute
11:29 am TN BJP chief Tamilisai Soundarrarajan and BJP leader H. Raja pay tributes
11:28 am PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss pays his last respects
11:26 am Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi pays tribute to Kalam
11:25 am Karnataka and Kerala Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Oommen Chandy pay their lasts respects
11:24 am Ghulam Nabi Azad ans Saifuddin Soz pray before the mortal remains of Kalam
11:22 am Host of leaders queue-up to pay their last respects to the People's President
11:21 am Tamil Nadu Finance Minister O.Paneerselvam pays tributes. He is followed by other state miniters.
11:19 am Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu, former minister P. Chidambaram and Union Minister Pon. Radhakrishnan pay floral tributes.
11:17 am Tamil Nadu Governor Rosaiah pays respects to Kalam
11:16 am Prime Minister, tri-services personnel salute the body of Kalam
11:10 am Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaches funeral venue. He pays tribute to the body of Abdul Kalam.
11:07 am Millitary honours to the mortal remains of Abdul Kalam
Army, Navy and Air Force personnel pay their last respects to the former President.
11:02 am Funeral procession reaches Pei Karumbu burial ground.
11:00 am People pay floral tributes to Kalam as his mortal remains are taken from his residence to Pei Karumbu burial ground.
10:55 am Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands at Madapam helipad. He will reach the funeral site by road.
10:51 am Funeral procession nearing the burial ground
10:50 am Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, TNCC chief EVKS Elangovan and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah arrive at Pei Karumbu burial ground.
10:46 am Funeral procession of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam begins.
10:44 am V.S. Achuthanandan, former Kerala Chief Minister among those present at Rameswaram for Kalam 's funeral.
10:30 am Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu arrive at the funeral venue.
10:15 am Kalam's mortal remains taken to mosque for special prayer, Salat al-Janazah.
10:08 am Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves from the Madurai airport to Rameswaram to attend the funeral
10:05 am Google pays tribute to Kalam, with a black ribbon on its homepage.
10:02 am PMK leaders Anbumani Ramadoss and G.K. Mani arrive for the funeral.
10:00 am Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan, Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan, MDMK Chief Vaiko and Tamil Manila Congress head G.K. Vasan reach Pei Karumbu for the funeral.
09:49 am Tamil Nadu Ministers led by Finance Minister O. Paneerselvam arrive at the burial ground for the funeral of Kalam.
09:39 am Some mourners read out their poetry on Kalam in the open ground, where his body is kept for public viewing, reports S. Sundar from Rameswaram. >Read more
09:30 am Many VVIPs began landing at the Madurai Airport from early on Thursday morning to travel to Rameswaram. Among them were Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
09:25 am: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi arrived at the Madurai Airport on Thursday morning to board a chopper to Rameswaram to attend the former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's last rites. Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad is accompanying Rahul Gandhi.
09:00 am A high alert has been sounded along the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coast in view of the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and other leaders to Rameswaram to attend the funeral of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. >Read more
Units of Navy and Coast Guard situated along the east coast, from Chennai to Tuticorin, have been fully activated.
08:45 am The Tamil Nadu government has >announced a public holiday today under the Negotiable Instruments Act on account of the funeral of former President A P J Abdul Kalam. Educational institutions and government office will not function on Thursday.
08:40 am People from across state are coming to Rameswaram since 6 am for Kalam 's funeral.
08:30 am Large crowds at Pei Karumbu burial ground.
08:20 am After prayers at the nearby mosque, Kalam's body would be taken in a procession to the funeral site at Pei Karumbu on Thursday morning for the funeral with full state honours, official sources said.
08:15 am Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Rameswaram, coastal security group has deployed additional Patrol boats. All Terrain Vehicles have been deployed.
08:00 am Special train leaves from Madurai to Rameswaram. Many youths are travelling to pay their last respects to Kalam.
