SanjayMurugesan220 at 06:58, 5 May 2026

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{{Short description|Indian Hindu religious leader}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mahant Laxminarayan Das
| native_name = महंत लक्ष्मीनारायण दास
| honorific-prefix = Mahant
| birth_date = 
| birth_place = Raipur, (present-day Chhattisgarh), India 
| death_date = March 17, 1987 <ref name="rajya"/>
| occupation = Hindu religious leader; Indian independence activist; social worker
| known_for = Leadership in the Raipur District during the Indian independence movement; Mahant of Jaitu Sao (Jaitu Sau) Math
| notable_works = Social welfare initiatives, including support for Harijan/underprivileged institutions in Raipur
}}

'''[[Mahant]] Laxminarayan Das''' ( d. March 17, 1987) was an Indian Hindu religious leader, freedom fighter and political activist from [[Raipur]], [[Madhya Pradesh (1956–2000)|Undivided Madhya Pradesh]] (present-day [[Chhattisgarh]]). He was a member of [[Indian National Congress]], Member of [[Madhya Pradesh Legislative Council]] 1937-52, President, [[Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee]] (M.P.C.C)., 1957-59. He later remained a member of the [[Rajya Sabha]], the Upper House of [[Parliament of India]] from 1962 to 1968.<ref name="rajya">{{cite web | title=RAJYA SABHA MEMBERS BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 1952-2019 | url=https://cms.rajyasabha.nic.in/UploadedFiles/ElectronicPublications/Member_Biographical_Book.pdf|website=Rajya Sabha Secretrariat archives|quote= Congress (Madhya Pradesh); s. of Guru Mahant Bihari Das; Bachelor; Member, (i) Madhya Pradesh Legislative Council, 1937-52 and (ii) Rajya Sabha, 3-4-1962 to 2-4-1968; President, M.P.C.C., 1957-59; Died. Obit. on 17-3-1987. |page=125| access-date=2025-09-14}}</ref><ref name="y522">{{cite web | last=Centre | first=National Informatics | title=Rajya Sabha Members - Former | website=Digital Sansad - Parliament of India, digital archive| date=2023-04-19 | url=https://sansad.in/rs/members| access-date=2025-09-14}}</ref>

He served as the [[Mahant]] (head priest) of the Jaitu Sao Math in [[Raipur]] and was active in the [[Indian independence movement]] — notably during the [[Non-cooperation movement (1919–1922)|Non-Cooperation]] and [[Satyagraha|Civil Disobedience campaigns]], including local actions associated with the [[Salt March|Salt Satyagraha]]. He is commemorated locally for social-welfare work and for public service in [[Raipur]]; a college in the Gandhi Nagar area of Raipur was established in his memory. <ref>{{cite web |url=https://mldc.ac.in/about-us.php?fldPathId=1 |title=About MLDC |publisher=Mahant Laxminarayan Das College |accessdate=13 September 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://amritmahotsav.nic.in/district-reopsitory-detail.htm?15784= |title=Digital District Repository – Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav |publisher=Government of India, Ministry of Culture |accessdate=13 September 2025}}</ref>

==Early life==
He became head of the Jaitu Sao Math ([[Purani Basti, Raipur]]) at an early age and subsequently emerged as a prominent local leader in Raipur. <ref>{{cite web |url=https://mldc.ac.in/about-us.php?fldPathId=1 |title=About MLDC |publisher=Mahant Laxminarayan Das College |accessdate=13 September 2025}}</ref>

== Role in the Indian independence movement ==
Mahant Laxminarayan Das participated in major Gandhian movements of the 1920s–1940s in the Raipur area. Institutional accounts credit him with organisational activity during the Non-Cooperation Movement ({{circa|1920}}), participation in the Civil Disobedience movement and the Salt Satyagraha in the early 1930s, and arrest for actions related to defiance of the salt laws. These accounts also note his participation in regional and national Congress activities of the period. <ref>{{cite web |url=https://mldc.ac.in/about-us.php?fldPathId=1 |title=About MLDC |publisher=Mahant Laxminarayan Das College |accessdate=13 September 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://indianculture.gov.in/digital-district-repository/district-repository/participation-women-during-civil-disobedience |title=Participation of women during Civil Disobedience movement in Raipur |publisher=Indianculture.gov.in |accessdate=13 September 2025}}</ref>

==Social work and later life==
Institutional descriptions indicate that after the independence struggle, he engaged in philanthropy and social welfare, focusing on education and support for disadvantaged communities in Raipur. Sources attribute involvement in establishing welfare institutions, including the foundation or support for a Harijan hostel (a shelter for underprivileged children) and other local educational initiatives. <ref>{{cite web |url=https://mldc.ac.in/about-us.php?fldPathId=1 |title=About MLDC |publisher=Mahant Laxminarayan Das College |accessdate=13 September 2025}}</ref>

He was an elected member of the [[Rajya Sabha]] from Madhya Pradesh for the Congress party from 1962 to 1968.

==Legacy==
Mahant Laxminarayan Das is commemorated locally in Raipur. In 1997, '''Mahant Laxminarayan Das College''' (often styled "Mahant Laxmi/Laxminarayan Das College") was established in his memory; the college’s official publications describe the institution as founded to honour his service to education and society in the region and to continue his social-welfare ideals. The college remains an institutional source for biographical information about Mahant Laxminarayan Das. <ref>{{cite web |url=https://mldc.ac.in/ |title=Mahant Laxminarayan Das College official site |publisher=Mahant Laxminarayan Das College |accessdate=13 September 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://mldc.ac.in/uploads/news/1720248506ELF-STUDY-REPORT.pdf |title=Self Study Report (SSR) – Mahant Laxminarayan Das College |publisher=Mahant Laxminarayan Das College |accessdate=13 September 2025}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://mldc.ac.in/ Mahant Laxminarayan Das College — official website]
* [https://mldc.ac.in/about-us.php?fldPathId=1 About Mahant Laxminarayan Das — college page]
* [https://mldc.ac.in/uploads/news/1720248506ELF-STUDY-REPORT.pdf Self Study Report — Mahant Laxminarayan Das College (PDF)]
* [https://amritmahotsav.nic.in/ Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav — Government of India (searchable district repository)]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laxminarayan Das, Mahant}}
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian Hindu religious leaders]]
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Civil disobedience in India]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:People from Raipur]]

Mahant Laxminarayan Das - Revision history

SanjayMurugesan220 at 06:58, 5 May 2026