Mohit Pandey is a 22-year-old priest who performed the pran pratishtha puja of Ram Lalla at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024. He was selected from among 3000 applicants after a rigorous interview process and underwent six months of training before his appointment.
He is a student of Vedic studies at the Dudheshwar Ved Vidyalaya in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. He is also a follower of his uncle, who was a scholar of Vedas. He is one of the 29 priests chosen to serve at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of other dignitaries.
The Ram Mandir is a historic temple dedicated to Lord Ram, who is believed to have been born in Ayodhya. The temple was built after a long legal and political dispute over the ownership of the land, which was resolved by the Supreme Court of India in 2019.
Mohit Pandey Early Life and Education
Mohit Pandey was born in 1998 in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, in a Brahmin family. His father is a priest and a teacher at Dudheshwar Ved Vidyapeeth, a renowned institution for Vedic studies.
Mohit developed a passion for learning the Vedas, the ancient Hindu scriptures, since his childhood. He studied the Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, at Dudheshwar Ved Vidyapeeth for seven years. He then pursued his higher education at Venkateswara Vedic University in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, where he completed his Acharya degree, equivalent to a master’s degree, in 2020.
He is currently working towards his doctoral degree in Vedic studies at the same university. Additionally, he has taken part in numerous national and international conferences and seminars focused on Vedic subjects.
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Mohit Pandey Career
Mohit Pandey is a young priest who was selected to serve at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir in 2024. He has a passion for learning the Vedas, the ancient Hindu scriptures, and has a master’s degree in Sama Veda from Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University, Tirupati.
He has also participated in various national and international conferences and seminars on Vedic topics. He views it as a tremendous honor and privilege to be among the 50 priests selected to serve Lord Ram in the Ayodhya Ram Mandir, anticipated to be completed by 2025.
In 2023, he submitted his application for the position of priest at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir. Among approximately 3000 applicants, Mohit secured a place in the top 200 candidates who underwent merit-based interviews. The interviews took place at Karsevak Puram, under the auspices of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Ayodhya. After the interview, only 20 candidates were selected by a three-member panel including a Hindu preacher from Vrindavan named Jaykant Mishra, and two mahants named Satyanarayan Das and Nandini Sharan from Ayodhya.
After finishing the final round, Mohit was selected as the priest at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir. He underwent six months training before starting his services as a priest at the temple which was inaugurated on 22 January 2024.
Mohit Pandey Personal Life
Mohit Pandey belongs to a Brahmin family from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. His father is a priest and a teacher at Dudheshwar Ved Vidyapeeth, and his mother is a homemaker. He has two younger brothers who are also studying at the same institution.
As far as his personal life is concerned, Mohit Pandey is unmarried and does not have a girlfriend. He is dedicated to his religious studies and his service to Lord Ram.
Mohit Pandey Controversies
Mohit Pandey was falsely claimed to be the chief priest of the Ram Mandir by some social media posts, which were later debunked by fact-checkers and authorities.
He was targeted by a defamation campaign, in which some morphed images of him with a woman were circulated on social media. He denied any involvement in the matter and the police arrested the culprit who was behind the fake photo scandal.
Mohit Pandey Net Worth
Mohit Pandey’s net worth is estimated to be around $15,000.