India, June 27 -- A walking encyclopedia of all things Ayodhya, Champat Rai's appointment as the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in 2020 was seen as a reward for his commitment to the Ram temple cause.

On Friday, he reportedly resigned from the post after investigators probing alleged misappropriation of donations to the temple arrested a former aide.

Before this apparent downfall, the 79-year-old, Bijnor-born Rai had become the ultimate insider in Ayodhya, connected with all prominent sadhus and conversant with various aspects of the temple town, according to people familiar with his career.

The journey started as a chemistry lecturer at the RSM Degree College in Dhampur, Bijnor. In 1977, when the Em...