Acharya Satyendra Das, chief priest of Ayodhya’s Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, passes away at 83

Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya, passed away at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) in Lucknow, according to a press statement issued by the institute. He was 83.

Acharya Satyendra Das was admitted to the HDU of the Neurology ward on February 3 in critical condition after suffering a brain stroke on February 2.

Uttar Pradesh Chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited SGPGIMS on February 4 to inquire about Acharya Satyendra Das’s health.

Das was the chief priest even on December 6, 1992, when the Babri Masjid was demolished. He had shifted the idols to the nearby Fakire Mandir before the demolition, and after the demolition, he placed the idols in the makeshift temple at Ram Janmabhoomi. Since the consecration ceremony of the new Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Satyendra Das had been serving as its chief priest.

Acharya Satyendra Das had celebrated the first anniversary of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya Temple on January 11. The chief priest described the celebrations as “very beautiful”.