The funeral procession of former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy left Thiruvananthapuram after 7 am Wednesday and was expected to arrive at his home district, Kottayam, about 150km away, by late afternoon.

But 12 hours into his final journey, the KSRTC bus with big wide glass windows, carrying his mortal remains, had only reached midway.

Five more hours later, the hearse just crossed Adoor. Kottayam, the home turf of the former chief minister, who died Tuesday at the age of 79, was still over 60km away. The hearse continued to move at a snail's pace.

The only thing slowing down the hearse was people. A sea of humanity. People from many generations. Some had personal stories to tell, others wanted to pay their respects.

They gathered around and waited -- to get a glimpse of the late leader -- as many had during the popular 'mass contact' programmes Chandy organised during his tenures as chief minister of Kerala.

The procession had entered the Kollam district by 3 pm. Massive crowds gathered at various towns in the district -- at Chadayamangalam, Valakam, Ayur, Kottarakkara and Adoor.

It took almost six hours for the procession to reach Enathu, the entry point to the neighbouring district of Pathanamthitta.

By then it was already midnight, almost 17 hours into the journey.

Meanwhile, a large gathering waited patiently at the Thirunakkara Maidan, in the heart of Kottayam town to see their beloved leader a last time.

KPCC chief K Sudhakaran said the envious outpouring of the masses was a testimony to how deeply Oommen Chandy touched people's lives. Sudhakaran was addressing a sizeable crowd at Thirunakkara.

Upon arrival, his body will be kept at Thirunakkara for the public to pay respects. Later, the procession that began at the Puthuppally House at Jagathy in the state capital will move to his hometown of Puthuppally.

The funeral was scheduled for 3.30 pm at the St George Orthodox Church in Puthuppally under the supervision of Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, the head of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.

Oommen Chandy had passed away at 4.25 am in Bengaluru on Tuesday. His mortal remains were brought to Thiruvananthapuram in a special flight.