Acharya Laxmikant Dixit, the chief priest who had performed the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, passed away on Saturday morning. According to his family members, Dixit, aged 86, had been unwell for the past few days. His final rites are scheduled to take place at Manikarnika Ghat.
The consecration of Lord Ram's idol at the Ayodhya temple occurred on January 22 during a ceremony officiated by Prime Minister Modi.
Pandit Laxmikant Mathuranath Dixit, an 86-year-old scholar renowned in Vedic ritualism ('karmkand'), led a group of priests during the pran pratishtha ceremony of Ramlalla at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, in January. Selected by authorities, Dixit headed a team of 121 scholars representing all branches of the Vedas from across India to officiate the solemn Ramlalla Pran Pratishtha ceremony.