The Dom Raja of Kashi, Jagdish Chaudhary, passed away on Tuesday following a long illness. He was the most senior member of his family.
Chaudhary was the one who had proposed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name from Varanasi constituency in the 2019 polls.
Dom Rajas are the keepers of the sacred flames revered by Hindus, which is used at the Varanasi ghat for the cremation of bodies. It is believed that the Dom community has been entrusted with the task since the time of Raja Harishchandra.
Prof Vijay Nath Mishra, neurologist of the BHU who has started “Ghat Walk” at the banks of the river Ganga, said, “Chaudhary was invited at the launch of the title song of the Ghat Walk. During this informal ceremony, he had expressed his wish to die at the Ghats of Ganga only. I can never get the same respect anywhere in the world that I have got in Kashi as the Dom Raja, he said.”
PM and several other dignitaries paid tributes to Chaudhary.
"I am saddened by the death of Varanasi's Dom Raja Jagdish Chaudhary ji. He was a keeper of the culture of Varanasi and traditions of Sanatan dharma. He worked for the welfare of the society his entire life. May his soul rest in peace and god may grant his family the strength to deal with this loss," Prime Minister Modi tweeted in Hindi.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tweeted, "The death of Dom Raja Jagdish Chaudhary is saddening. His death is a loss for the entire Indian society. I pray "Baba Vishvanath" to grant you a place in his "Paramdham". Om Shanti.”
