The head of the Ramjanmbhoomi Trust, Mahant Ramchandra Das Paramhans, will be carried in samadhi posture for his funeral on Friday noon.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his deputy Lal Kishenchand Advani will participate in the funeral, sources told rediff.com
In true tradition of prominent sadhus and mahants, the body of Paramhans has been kept in a sitting position at the Digambar Akhara, which he headed.
"Well-embalmed and neatly decked up, Paramhans gives the impression of sitting in samadhi in the main courtyard of his abode," his aide Shailendra Misra said.
"Sadhus of his stature do not die; they simply depart from this body made of flesh and bones to live in another world."
The body will be carried right up to the banks of the Saryu River, where the last rites will be performed at 1100 IST.
Meanwhile, a pall of gloom has descended on Ayodhya, where the 92-year-old Paramhans spent more than seven decades.
Thousands of his followers have converged on the town and all roads appear to be leading to Digambar Akhara.
Heads of several other akharas are also said to be on their way to the temple town.
The administration has deployed a large number of cops to regulate the entry and exit of visitors.
Additional security personnel have been rushed from Lucknow to make arrangements for the arrival of Vajpayee and Advani on Friday morning.