Vedic Scholar Lakshmikant Dikshit, 'Mukhya Purohit' At Ramlalla Pran Pratishtha Ceremony, Passes Away

Lakshmikant Dixit, Vedic scholar and the 'mukhya purohit' (chief priest) at Ram Lalla, has passed away in Varanasi.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed deep sorrow over the demise of Acharya Dixit.

"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," CM Yogi said in a post on X.

Yogi added that Acharya 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.

Pandit Laxmikant Mathuranath Dixit had led the group of priests at the pran pratishtha ceremony of Ramlalla at Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya in January.

The 86-year-old Vedic 'karmkand' (ritualism) scholar was chosen by the authorities to lead a team of 121 scholars from all branches of the Vedas from across the country to solemnise the Ramlalla Pran Pratishtha ceremony.

The lineage tradition of the Vedic scholar is reportedly linked to renowned 17th-century Kashi scholar Gaga Bhatt, who presided over the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji in 1674.

Gaga Bhatt’s ancestors were Maharashtrian Brahmins who originally belonged to a village near Paithan in Maharashtra. However, they later migrated to the holy city of Varanasi.

The Vedic scholar specialised in Srauta, Smarta, Yajna, concretion, and other rituals.

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