Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Chief Priest Mahant Satyendra Das Given 'Jal Samadhi' At Saryu Ghat

People gathered in large numbers to join the funeral procession of Acharya Satyendra Das in the temple city. He had passed away on February 12 after suffering a brain stroke.

Ram Mandir's chief priest Satyendra Das, 85, died on Wednesday just days after he was hospitalised due to a brain stroke.

Source : PTI

Mahant Satyendra Das, the chief priest of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, was given a 'jal samadhi' at the Saryu Ghat. The 85-year-old chief priest was admitted to the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) earlier this month after he suffering a brain stroke. He died on February 12.

A funeral procession was taken around the city on Thursday before conducting his last rites. His succssor Pradeep Das had told news agency PTI that Satyendra Das would be given a water burial in accordance with the traditions of the Ramanandi sect.

Earlier today, people gathered in large numbers to join the funeral procession of Acharya Satyendra Das in the temple city.

VIDEO | People in large numbers join the funeral procession of Ayodhya Ram Temple chief priest Satyendra Das.

Mahant Satyendra Das, the chief priest of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, died at a hospital here on Wednesday.

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The chief priest's body will also be taken to Hanuman Garhi and Ram Janmabhoomi before the last rites. Pradeep Das explained that heavy stones are tied to the body before it is immersed into the middle of a river as part of the 'jal samadhi'.

Acharya Satyendra Das, who served as a priest during the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, passed away in Lucknow on Wednesday. He was later made the chief priest of the makeshift temple when the government took control of the premises.

He was admitted in HDU (High Dependency Unit) of neurology ward in Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences on February 3 with stroke in critical condition. His mortal remains were later taken to his residence in Ayodhya. 

PM Modi and Yogi Adityanath had expressed condolences on the demiseo of Acharya Satyendra Das. PM Modi lauded the mahant's scholarship in religious texts and rituals, and said that Das's invaluable contribution to the country's spiritual and social life will always be remembered. UP CM Yogi Adityanath termed Das's death as an irreparable loss to the spiritual world.