Priest Who Consecrated Ayodhya Ram Temple Dies At 86

Varanasi: Acharya Laxmikant Dixit, the chief priest who led the rituals for the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, died on Saturday morning.

According to reports, 86-year-old Dixit was ailing for the last few days.

His last rites will be conducted at Manikarnika Ghat.

He was the chief priest when Lord Ram’s idol was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on January 22 in the presence of Prime Minister Modi.

Dixit hailed from Solapur district of Maharashtra but was living in Varanasi along with his family. He was considered a senior scholar of Varanasi.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the death of Dixit in a post on X and wrote, “The departure of Acharya Shri Laxmikant Dixit, a great scholar of Kashi and the chief priest of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Prana Pratishtha, is an irreparable loss to the spiritual and literary world. He will always be remembered for his service to Sanskrit language and Indian culture.”