Varanasi: Acharya Laxmikant Dixit, the chief priest who led the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram’s idol at the Ayodhya Ram temple earlier this year, passed away early Saturday morning at the age of 85 in Varanasi.
According to his son Sunil Dixit, Laxmikant Dixit retired to bed as usual the previous night. Upon waking up at 6:30 am and heading towards the bathroom, he suddenly lost consciousness.
Acharya Laxmikant Dixit played a pivotal role in the historic event on January 22, overseeing the installation of Lord Ram’s idol in Ayodhya in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He was widely respected as a scholar of Yajurveda.
Expressing his condolences over Dixit’s passing, Prime Minister Modi sent his sympathies, stating, “Dixit ji was a renowned man of the scholarly tradition of Kashi.” It was on the day that the Kashi Vishwanath Dham and Ram temple were inaugurated that I was able to have his company. His passing is a loss that cannot be compensated for by society.
Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, expressed his sorrow at the passing of Acharya Dixit. In a statement, he lauded him as a revered scholar from Kashi (Varanasi) and an acclaimed figure at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi.
It was an irreparable loss to both the literary and spiritual domains, according to Adityanath, who expressed his sorrow over his passing.
He will be remembered for his contributions to the Sanskrit language and Indian culture, Yogi Adityanath said. “He will always be remembered for his service.”