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Mahant Satyendra Das, the chief priest of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, died at a hospital. The 85-year-old was admitted to the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) earlier this month after he suffered a brain stroke.
“Satendra Das ji, chief Priest of Ram Mandir Ayodhya, breathed his last today. He was admitted in HDU (High Dependency Unit) of neurology ward on February 3 with stroke in critical condition,” the hospital said.
Condoling his demise, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said it was an irreparable loss to the spiritual world.
“The demise of great Ram bhakt and chief priest of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, Shri Ayodhya Dham Acharya Shri Satyendra Kumar Das Ji Maharaj, is extremely sad and an irreparable loss to the spiritual world. Humble tributes! I pray to Lord Shri Ram to give a place to the departed soul in his feet and give strength to the bereaved disciples and followers to bear this immense loss.”
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said he “prays to God to give courage to his followers to bear the huge loss.”
Das, who took ‘sanyas’ at the age of 20, was serving as priest during the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992. Later when the government took control of the premises, he was made chief priest of the makeshift temple.
While talking to PTI in 2022, Das had said he joined as the priest of the makeshift Ram Lalla temple in 1992, the year the Babri mosque was demolished.
