Ram Navami 2024: Ram Lalla's first-ever Surya Tilak to mark the occasion at Ayodhya's Ram Mandir

Ram Navami 2024: Ram Lalla's first-ever Surya Tilak to mark the occasion at Ayodhya's Ram Mandir

 The Sun's rays fell on the forehead of Ram Lalla in the form of a 'surya tilak' at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on the occassion of Ram Navami on Wednesday. This was the first Ram Navami since the pran pratishtha of the idol of Lord Ram at the new temple, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22.

What exactly is Surya Tilak or Surya Abhishek? 

Surya Abhishek is derived from Surya (sun) and Abhishek (a purifying ritual).

It's a mixture of optics and mechanics where the sun's rays are carefully directed onto a deity's forehead.

While this practice is not new and has been integral to ancient temple rituals across the Indian subcontinent, the engineering behind the Surya Abhishek at the Ram Mandir showcases a unique approach.

At 12.01 pm, the Sun's rays graced Ram Lalla's forehead in Ayodhya's Ram temple in a mesmerising show for around two to two-and-a-half minutes. The size of the tilak was around 58 mm.

The Surya Abhishek or Surya Tilak ritual happened today when 'the Sun's rays fell on the forehead of Ram Lalla'.

The 'Surya tilak' of the deity was made possible by 'an elaborate mechanism involving mirrors and lenses'.

The primary goal of the Surya Tilak project is to place a 'tilak' on the forehead of the Shri Ram idol during each Shri Ram Navami celebration. As part of this initiative, sunlight will be directed onto the forehead of Lord Ram precisely at noon on Shri Ram Navami in the Chaitra month annually," explained Dr S.K. Panigrahi, a Scientist at CSIR-CBRI Roorkee, who played a role in the project. 👇👇👇👇👇

રામ લલા નો સૂર્ય તિલક નો અદભુત વિડિઓ જુઓ અહીંથી

How does the ‘Surya tilak’ mechanism work?

The “Surya Tilak” of Ram Lalla became possible through an elaborate system connected with mirrors and lenses in the Ram Temple. The CSIR-Central Building Research Institute in Roorkee ”majorly contributed towards the structural design of the main temple, designing ‘Surya Tilak’ mechanism, design-vetting of temple foundation, and monitoring the structural health of the main temple,” Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh had said.

The DST-Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru also provided “technical support” to triangulate the sun rays and the idol’s position for the ‘Surya Tilak’. Optica, a Bengaluru-based company specialising in precision instruments, was involved in manufacturing the lenses and brass tubes.