Laxmikant Dixit, chief priest of Ram temple consecration ceremony, dies

According to the family members, Dixit was not well for the last few days

Varanasi: Acharya Laxmikant Dixit, the chief priest who had performed the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, died Saturday morning.

Family members said Dixit, 86, was not well for the last few days. His last rites will be conducted at Manikarnika Ghat. Lord Ram‘s idol was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on January 22 in an event led by Prime Minister Modi.

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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 expressed grief over the death of 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.”

 

काशी के प्रकांड विद्वान एवं श्री राम जन्मभूमि प्राण प्रतिष्ठा के मुख्य पुरोहित, वेदमूर्ति, आचार्य श्री लक्ष्मीकांत दीक्षित जी का गोलोकगमन अध्यात्म व साहित्य जगत की अपूरणीय क्षति है।

संस्कृत भाषा व भारतीय संस्कृति की सेवा हेतु वे सदैव स्मरणीय रहेंगे।

प्रभु श्री राम से प्रार्थना…

— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) June 22, 2024

“He will always be remembered for his service to Sanskrit language and Indian culture,” Adityanath said. “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.