Dev Anand's ashes immersed in Godavari river

The ashes of legendary actor Dev Anand, who died in London on December 3, were immersed in the Godavari river in Nashik on Wednesday evening by his son Suniel.

The ashes were immersed in 'Ramkund' (a sacred pond) on the bank of Godavari after a puja was performed by a local priest Mahindra Parashare.

A large number of fans of the evergreen actor were present on the occasion.

Earlier in the day, the urn containing ashes was brought to Mumbai from London by Suniel. Mohan Churiwala, a close aide of the actor, and former Maharashtra DGP Ajit Parasnis accompanied Suniel on his journey to Nashik.

Talking to reporters later, Suniel said his father remained active in the Hindi film industry till his last days as he wanted to produce good movies.

Making good films will be real tribute to him, he said.

The last rites of the 88-year-old actor were performed on Saturday at the Putney Vale Crematorium in London. A memorial service was also held at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in the UK capital the same day.

A memorial service will be held in Mehboob Studios in Mumbai on Friday.

Photograph: Sahil Salvi