Vedic scholar Pandit Laxmikant Mathuranath Dixit, who led the consecration ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, passed away on Saturday morning at the age of 86. Dixit breathed his last at 6:45 am.
Dixit was highly respected for his devotion to the Hindu community and leadership in Vedic rituals. He led a team of 121 scholars from various branches of the Vedas to perform the Ramlalla Pran Pratishtha ceremony. He was a descendant of the 17th-century Kashi scholar Gaga Bhatt, who officiated the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1674.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sorrow over Acharya Dixit’s demise. In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, “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 society.”
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also condoled the loss, saying, “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.” He further said that Dixit will be remembered for his contributions 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,” Adityanath added.
