Villupuram Chiniahpillai 'Sivaji' Ganesan was laid to rest, Monday afternoon, at the Besant Nagar crematorium in Madras.

He was accorded a quasi-state funeral. Thus, when the body in its glass-cased coffin arrived at the crematorium, an honour guard of state police presented arms, then moved into a 10-gun salute.

The police band then played the last post, before the body was borne into the interior of the electric crematorium by pallbearers including the late thespian's two sons Ram Kumar and Prabhu, actors Vijaykanth and Sharat Kumar, and assorted members of the family.

Earlier this morning, several thousands thronged the roads surrounding Anna Illam, the home of the late actor, in the pre-dawn hours.

At 7.30 am, Sivaji's body, encased in the glass coffin that was its home throughout the ceremonial lying in state on Sunday, was carried out to a flower-decked truck. Ram Kumar and Prabhu, alongside Tamil Nadu's celluloid icons of the order of Kamal Hassan, Rajnikanth, Vijaykanth, Satyaraj, Sharat Kumar, Vijaykumar, Vijay, director Bharati Raja, lyricist Vairamuthu and music maestro Ilyaraja acted as pall-bearers.

With the flower-decked truck at the centre, the procession set out from T Nagar, in central Madras, surrounded by milling throngs on all sides.

The Tamil industry had cancelled all shooting schedules slated for Sunday and Monday. As per an official fiat issued by the Tamil Cine Artistes' Association, al stars, directors and technicians landed up at the association office at 6 am and, without regard for rank and seniority, piled into two open topped lorries that carried them to the late 'Sivaji's' residence.

From there, the lorries carrying the who's who of the Tamil film industry joined the funeral procession.

With thousands joining the procession and many more thousands lining the 25-odd kilometer route, the procession took four and a half hours to arrive at the crematorium.

Meanwhile, senior stars like Gemini Ganesan, Nagesh, K Baghyaraj and others, either too old or too ill to take part in the procession, awaited the body's arrival in special shamianas erected at the crematorium.

It is noted that Rajini did not attend any funeral in the past except for Sivaji Ganesan.