The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya witnessed a unique event as the forehead of Ram Lalla’s idol was anointed with a ray of sunlight, known as Surya Tilak on the occasion of Ram Navami on April 17. The Surya Tilak of Ram Lalla was done at noon through an elaborate system connected with mirrors and lenses in the Ram Mandir.
Roping in Scientists
The Mandir trust had commissioned a team of scientists to make this occasion possible. Using scientific expertise, a beam of light illuminated Ram Lalla’s forehead. To achieve this phenomenon, sunlight was precisely directed onto the statue’s forehead using a combination of mirrors and lenses. This was carried out precisely at 12 noon for about three minutes.
Even as Ram Lalla was to be anointed with Surya Tilak, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a reference to the historic occasion in his election rally at Nalbari in Assam. With a chant of Jai Siyawar Ram, the PM said, “Today is the historic occasion of Ram Navami. After waiting for 500 years, Bhagwan Ram has been seated in his grand temple. Now after a few minutes, by applying Surya Tilak to Bhagwan Ram, his birth anniversary will be celebrated in the holy city of Ayodhya, in the Ram Temple.”
The moment of Surya Tilak had devotees in raptures as chants of Jai Shri Ram were heard across Ayodhya and even in Mandirs across the country. Devotees broke out into song and dance outside the Ram Mandir. This is the first Ram Navami after the Pran Pratishtha of the Murti of Bhagwan Ram by PM Modi on January 22 in Ayodhya. Ram Navami was celebrated with great pomp at Ram Mandir with offerings of 56 types of bhog, prasad and panjiri.
“Today is the historic occasion of Ram Navami. After waiting for 500 years, Bhagwan Ram has been seated in his grand temple. Now after a few minutes, by applying Surya Tilak to Bhagwan Ram, his birth anniversary will be celebrated in the holy city of Ayodhya, in the Ram Temple” — Narendra Modi, PM
“He is dressed in yellow clothes, and after this he is bathed with Panchamrit. Four-five types of panjiris are made and along with that, 56 types of offerings are made to Bhagwan,” said Acharya Satyendra Das, Chief Priest of Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir.
A large number of devotees thronged Ram Mandir in a vibrant display of faith and celebration. Before visiting the Mandir, devotees took a dip in the holy waters of the Saryu River. Darshan at the Mandir started at 3:30 am. The celebration was broadcast on about 100 LED screens throughout the city. It was also broadcast on the trust’s social media accounts.
Significance of Surya Tilak
Described as Surya Tilak, this event was termed as a convergence of science, engineering, and spirituality, with officials of the Mandir trust and scientists behind the mechanism emphasising its importance.
“The basic objective of the Surya Tilak project is to focus a tilak on the forehead of Shri Ram idol on every Shri Ram Navami day. Under the project, sunlight will be brought on the forehead of Bhagwan Ram at noon on Shri Ram Navami in the Chaitra month every year,” said Dr SK Panigrahi, scientist at CSIR-CBRI Roorkee, while talking to a media house.
Tracking Sun’s Trajectory
Describing intricacies of the mechanism, R Dharamraju, chief scientist at the CSIR-Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), explained how the apparatus operates on the principle of tracking the Sun’s trajectory. Lenses and reflective mirrors arranged meticulously will direct sunlight from the third floor to the sanctum-sanctorum, casting a divine mark on the idol’s forehead. This phenomenon is scheduled to occur for four minutes around noon on Ram Navami.
“The grand Surya Tilak adorned on the forehead of Surya Kul Bhushan Shree Ram Lalla is illuminating the entire nation with its eternal glory. Jai Jai Shri Ram!” — Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh chief minister
Champat Rai, General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, highlighted the symbolism behind the ‘Surya Tilak,’ underscoring Bhagwan Ram’s lineage as a descendant of the Bhagwan Surya. He expressed that this mechanism is a testament to the intricate fusion of engineering and optical science, signifying the celestial bond between heaven and earth.
The meticulous design of the mechanism involved collaboration among technicians and scientists from CSIR-Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Optica, Bangalore, and others. With a pledge of 100 per cent success, officials assure devotees that the Surya Tilak formation on Bhagwan Ram’s forehead is guaranteed.
To ensure the precision of the event, special arrangements comprising 19 gears had been instituted, aligning with the lunar calendar’s calculation of Ram Navami. Remarkably, the entire mechanism operates without the use of batteries or iron components, highlighting its eco-friendly and sustainable nature.
