Ayodhya Ram Temple's chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das dies

Das had been the chief priest of the Ram temple since before the Babri Masjid demolition on December 6, 1992.

Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of Ayodhya's Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple, passed away on Wednesday at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences.

"Satyendra Das ji, chief Priest of Ram Mandir Ayodhya, breathed his last today. He was admitted to HDU (High Dependency Unit) of the Neurology ward on February 3 with a stroke in critical condition," the hospital said.

According to reports, Chief Mnister Yogi Adityanath reached the hospital on Tuesday and enquired about the health of Das. He discussed the progress of treatment with the doctors and gave necessary guidelines.

"The demise of Acharya Shri Satyendra Kumar Das Ji Maharaj, the great devotee of Lord Rama and the Chief Priest of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, Shri Ayodhya Dham is extremely sad and an irreparable loss to the social and spiritual world. Humble tribute to him! We pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant a place to the departed soul at his feet and give strength to his grief-stricken disciples and followers to bear this immense loss," CM Yogi posted on X.

Das had been the chief priest of the Ram temple since before the Babri Masjid demolition on December 6, 1992.  He was a member of the Nirvani Akhara and began his spiritual journey from the age of 20.

Last month, Das, who was the longest-serving chief priest of the Ram temple, participated in the first anniversary celebrations of the Pran Pratistha ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol.