Priest, Who Led Ram Lalla's Pran Pratishtha Ceremony In Ayodhya, Dies At 86
The Vedic scholar specialised in Srauta, Smarta, Yajna, concretion, and other rituals (Image: News18)
Pandit Laxmikant Mathuranath Dixit, a Vedic scholar from Varanasi who led the group of priests at the consecration ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol at Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya, passed away on Saturday. Dixit, who was 86 years old, breathed his last at 6:45 am.
Dixit was well-known for his deep-rooted devotion towards the Hindu community as well as his leadership. A Vedic ‘karmkand’ (ritualism) scholar, he was chosen to lead a team of 121 scholars from all branches of the Vedas to solemnise the Ramlalla Pran Pratishtha ceremony.
A native of Varanasi, Dixit was reportedly a descendant of distinguished Kashi scholar Gaga Bhatt of the 17th century, who headed the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj around 350 years ago in 1674.
Condolences Pour In
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow over the demise of Acharya Dixit. In a post on X, he said Dixit’s demise is an irreparable loss for the society
“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,” PM Modi wrote.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled Acharya Dixit’s demise and said, “The passing of the eminent scholar from Kashi and the chief priest of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Pran Pratishtha, Vedmurti Acharya Shri Lakshmikant Dixit Ji, is an irreplaceable loss to the spiritual and literary world.”
In a post on X, he further said that Dixit will always be remembered for his service to the Sanskrit language and Indian culture.
“I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant the departed soul a place at his lotus feet and to give his disciples and followers the strength to bear this grief,” he added.