Acharya Laxmikant Dixit, who led Ram temple consecration ceremony, passes away; irreparable loss, says PM Modi

"His demise is an irreparable loss for the society," said PM Modi while grieving the demise of the revered Acharya Laxmikant Dixit

Acharya Laxmikant Dixit, the chief priest who had performed the consecration ceremony of the Ayodhya Ram mandir, passed away on June 22. His last rites will be performed at Varanasi’s auspicious Manikarnika Ghat.

His family members informed that the priest, who died at the age of 86, had not been keeping well for the past few days.

Acharya Laxmikant Dixitpassed away exactly five months after Ram Lalla’s idol was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on January 22 in an event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Grieving his loss, the PM wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I received the sad news of the demise of the country's eminent scholar and Yajurveda teacher of Sangveda Vidyalaya, Lakshmikant Dixit ji. Dixit ji was a renowned man of the scholarly tradition of Kashi. I got his company on the inauguration day of Kashi Vishwanath Dham and Ram temple. His demise is an irreparable loss for the society.”

Counted among the senior scholars of Varanasi, Dixit was a native of Solapur district of Maharashtra but his family has been living in Varanasi for several generations.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also expressed grief over the death of Acharya Dixit.

In a post on 'X', he said, “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.”

“I pray to Lord Shri Ram to give a place to the departed soul in his feet and give strength to his disciples and followers to bear this sorrow,” he added.

(With PTI inputs)