Ayodhya Ram temple will have no chief priest as of now, says Champat Rai

Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Ayodhya Ram temple will not have any chief priest as of now, General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra (SRJTK), Champat Rai said on Sunday (March 17, 2025).

Mr Rai also claimed that the construction of the temple is 96% complete and will probably be finished by the June this year.

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Speaking to the media after the trust meeting that held in Ayodhya on March 16, Mr Raid said that the trust had spoken to the previous chief priest, Mahanat Satyendra Das, regarding the appointment of chief priest, six months.

“We had asked Acharya Satyendra Das six months ago; there is not be any chief priest now. There is no one of Satyendra Das’s age and respect. No one else has been Hanumangarhi temple’s Mahant for so long. He had been serving since 1993. He used to take Rs. 100 as his monthly salary. At present, everyone is young and new and not learned like him,” Mr Rai said

He added that addressing anyone as the Chief Priest now would be an exaggeration.

To mention, Mr Das breathed his last on February 12 after prolonged illness and old age-related medical issues. He was 83 at the time of his death.

Meanwhile, the trust, in a communique stated that it has paid Rs 396 crore in taxes to the government in the past five years, from 2020 to 2025. Of this Rs 270 crore was paid as goods and services tax (GST).

The truest informed that 16 crore visitors came to Ayodhya in last one year, since the consecration of the temple that held on January 22, 2024.

“The temple’s construction work is 96% complete and it will be fully ready by June. Till now, the trsut has spent Rs 2,150 crore on the temple,” Mr Rai said adding that the trust’s financial records were regularly audited by officials from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).