Who is Mohit Pandey? 22-year-old chosen among 200 candidates for priest of Ayodhya's Ram Temple

Mohit Pandey, a 22-year-old student of Vedic studies at the Dudheshwar Ved Vidyalaya in Ghaziabad city of Uttar Pradesh is among the 29 priests chosen to perform puja at the Ram temple that will open in Ayodhya in January.

Pandey was chosen following a rigorous process that included interviews with about 3,000 applicants from all over India. He is currently undergoing a six-month training before his appointment.

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Who is Mohit Pandey ?

In the 2020–21 academic year, Pandey enrolled in SVVU's BA (Shastri) programme after completing his Class X education at Ghaziabad's Dudheshwar Ved Vidyapeeth. He attended Venkateswara Vedic Universityin Tirupati for his MA (Acharya) degreeandis preparing for his PhD.

The journey of Pandey from Ghaziabad to Tirupati and now Ayodhya is evidence of his commitment and rigorous training. His choice also highlights the crucial role that universities such as SVVU play in generating competent people who can serve in spiritual capacities.

“It’s a matter of great pride for us that our student has been chosen as a priest at the Ayodhya Ram temple. We trained him here for 10 long years,” said Mahant Narayan Giri, the head priest of the Dudheshwar Nath temple and chief patron of the Dudheshwar Ved Vidyalaya.

He added, “It isn’t an easy test to pass. But his command over Sanskrit and pronunciation of words to worship the lord would have held him in good stead. He was trained in all these.”

Ram Mandir construction

The construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is ongoing and the sanctum sanctorum is expected to be completed by December-end. The consecration ceremony, or ‘pran prathishtha’, will be heldon January 22, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath.

The Ram Mandir had 20 vacancies of priests, and more than three thousand candidates had applied. After being shortlisted, 200 priests will undergo rigorous training for six months and undertake an exam before being finally selected.

The 20 priests who will be chosen must fulfil specific responsibilities and clauses. Over 6,000 invitation cards for the grand consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla have been sent to invitees from across the nation.

(With inputs from agencies)