New Delhi, Dec 6 : Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned till Monday as a mark of respect to the memory of South Africa's first elected president Nelson Mandela, who passed away last night.

As soon as the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha met for the day, members observed silence in honour of the departed leader.

Making an obituary reference, Rajya Sabha Chairman Mohammed Hamid Ansari described Mandela as one of the greatest personalities representing the best of human spirit and values.

He said, in the passing away of Mandela, the South African people have lost the father of their nation.

Ansari said, the World has lost a statesman whose life and message of courage and goodness will continue to inspire and guide people around the world in the years ahead.

Mandela, who guided South Africa from the shackles of apartheid to multi-racial democracy and became an international icon of peace and reconciliation, died at his home on Thursday at age 95.

Mandela had spent nearly three months in a Pretoria hospital with a recurring lung infection, and was shifted to his home in September with all intensive care facilities made available to him.

Mandela had spent 27 years as a prisoner in South Africa for opposing apartheid, and then emerged to become his country's first black president.

He was bestowed with the Nobel Peace Prize and he became an enduring symbol of integrity, principle and resilience. (ANI)