Who was Acharya Satyendra Das, Ayodhya Ram Mandir’s chief priest?

The 83-year-old priest was admitted to the hospital on February 3 after he suffered a brain stroke.

“Satyendra Das ji, chief Priest of Ram Mandir Ayodhya, breathed his last today. He was admitted to HDU (High Dependency Unit) of the Neurology ward on February 3 with a stroke in critical condition,” the hospital said.

A day after Acharya Satyendra Das suffered a brain stroke, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met the ailing priest at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI).

He discussed the progress of treatment with the doctors and gave necessary guidelines, it said.

Who was Acharya Satyendra Das?

• 83-year-old Acharya Satyendra Das was a Hindu mahant and the chief priest of the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.
• He had been the chief priest of the Ram temple since before the Babri Masjid demolition on December 6, 1992.
• He was a member of the Nirvani Akhara and dedicated his life to spiritual service from the age of 20.
• Acharya Satyendra Das ji was among the most accessible seers of Ayodhya and was often sought by media persons for insights on Ayodhya and developments related to the Ram temple.
• Acharya Satyendra Das was among the first Hindu priests to condemn the petition seeking to ban the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Bangladesh.
• Earlier, Acharya Satyendra Das was seen celebrating the first anniversary of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya Temple on January 11.