Final journey of Mr Lee, the whole country even the skies cried

DESPITE the torrential rain and claps of thunder, few in the crowd budged. Some had waited overnight, many others arrived before the crack of dawn.

The more than 100,000-strong crowd were united in objective - to bid a final farewell to their first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, as his cortege travelled from Parliament House in the Central Business District to the National University of Singapore (NUS) campus in Kent Ridge.

It was the grandest of send-offs for the revered 91-year-old, who died last Monday at the Singapore General Hospital after a long battle with severe pneumonia.

Fighter jets roared in the skies above and howitzers lined up on the Padang fired a 21-gun salute - an honour usually given only to sitting heads of state - at the start of the procession's 75-minute journey on Sunday.

Two navy patrol ships staged a ceremonial sailpast off the Marina Barrage and sounded three prolonged horn blasts of 10 seconds each.

All along the 15.4km route that passed through the heart of the city, Singaporeans cheered Mr Lee's name and waved the country's flag when they saw his casket, which was covered by the national flag and protected by a tempered glass case atop a two-wheeled gun carriage.

Pulled by a ceremonial Land Rover, the cortege passed many major landmarks such as City Hall, Old Parliament House, the Singapore Conference Hall and the NTUC Centre.

The cortege moved through Tanjong Pagar - where he was a Member of Parliament for 60 years - and then through the Jalan Bukit Merah and Commonwealth neighbourhoods.

At the University Cultural Centre (UCC) in NUS, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra performed Samuel Barber's Adagio on stage as the casket was carried into the hall.

More than 2,200 guests were already seated inside, including leaders and former leaders from 23 countries such as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, India's Narendra Modi, Australia's Tony Abbott and former United States president Bill Clinton.

Delivering the first of 10 eulogies at the three-hour service, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the elder of Mr Lee's two sons, described the days since his father's passing as a "dark week" for Singapore.

PM Lee, who struggled to fight back tears a number of times as he paid his tribute, said that while "the light that has guided us all these years has been extinguished", Mr Lee's principles and ideals would continue to invigorate the government and guide the people.

"His life will inspire Singaporeans, and others, for generations to come. (He) once said that 'we intend to see that (Singapore) will be here a thousand years from now. And that is your duty and mine'. Mr Lee has done his duty, and more. It remains our duty to continue his life's work, to carry the torch forward and keep the flame burning bright," said PM Lee.