AYODHYA: Satyendra Das is permitted to go where no one else can: into the 'Garbh Griha', the space on Ram Janmabhoomi where Hindu tradition holds that Lord Ram was born."It's an envious privilege that the assistant pujaris and I enjoy — the service of the lord at the place where he was born, for 25 years, and where not even the President or Prime Minister can go. It was destined with god's blessings, which is why I have no materialistic desire. A sense of fulfilment has settled inside me," says Das.Watch: Babri Masjid-Ram Mandir dispute – A timelineThe 80-year-old is, since March 1, 1992, the only one among the sadhus of Ayodhya who is allowed to bathe, feed and dress the idol of Ram as an infant, or "Ram Lalla" as it is fondly called.At the crack of dawn, Das, an erudite Sanskrit scholar, is humming "Ram moola, Taraka and Gayatri mantras" on a cot beside the mossy walls of his crumbling second-floor, two-room set in one of Ayodhya 's narrow streets.This is just minutes before he leaves to discharge his duties inside the revered Ram Janmabhoomi that lies at the heart of the dispute between Hindus and Muslims. The site is visited by more than 10,000 devotees every day.Das, the government-appointed head priest, gets a monthly salary of Rs 8,480—a hundred-fold jump from the paltry Rs 150 per month that he got in the year communal tension gripped the site.Yet, having lived an ascetic's life for 25 years, the bachelor insists he has no misgivings about missing out on the popularity enjoyed by the town's famed akhara saints who regularly appear on TV channels and at politico-religious events."Like Tulsidas, who wrote the couplet 'Lok manyata anal sam, kar tap kanan den (Those who seek fame or lust even after seeking meditation and wisdom are destroyed like fire in the woods)', I came to Ayodhya from Sant Kabir Nagar in 1958 only in search of education and enlightenment. I started with Sanskrit vyakaran, vedant, and then acharya (grammar, learning and teaching). Today, literature and temple service are my only assets. I can die with pride in anonymity some day," says Das, who has rejected a security detail.In his quarters near Ram Ghat, there is a small table fan, a few hand-woven sweaters and some vegetables. A few hundred books, including the Gita, Param Vaibhav Bharat, Siddhant Komudi and Vedant Darshan, line the shelves.At the temple site, he's non-negotiable and a stickler for discipline. The Ram Lalla site must open at 5am without fail with the "utisht deva aarti (to wake up the deity)" and the idol's outfit must be changed daily according to Vedic rituals."Bright red for Sunday, blue for Saturday, cream for Friday… adherence to 16 types of puja, such as avahan, vastram, dhoop, deep, naivad, chandan, and so on. The temple must be closed at 7pm sharp with sandhya aarti as per the court's written order," he says.He keeps a hawk's eye on all the other staff: four assistant pujaris, a kothari (who locks the temple) and the bhandari (cook), each of whom are paid Rs 4,500 a month.