Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid
A Varanasi Vedic scholar and astrologer who fixed the muhurat for the Ram temple ceremonies in Ayodhya, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2025.
Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid has no university degree. Everything he knows, he learned in a traditional gurukul in Varanasi. In 2025 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of literature and education, from Uttar Pradesh [1].
A gurukul education
Dravid was born on 8 December 1958 [2]. He was taught from childhood in a gurukul run by his father, Pandit Rajeshwar Shastri Dravid, a scholar in Ramnagar, Varanasi [2]. Besides astrology, he studied the four Vedas, Vedanta, Nyaya, Dharma Shastra, Mimamsa and the Puranas [2].
Scholar and astrologer
He is examination officer of the Shri Girvanvagvardhini Sabha in Varanasi, a council that answers questions on religious practice [2]. The citation notes that he offers astrological guidance free of charge [2]. He fixed the auspicious times (muhurat) for the bhoomi pujan and the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, and for the Kashi Vishwanath corridor in Varanasi [2].
He edited an edition of the Krishna Yajurveda in Chennai, and has received titles from the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham and other institutions [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2025: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2025: citation for Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
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