In video, first 'Surya tilak' of Ram Lalla since Ram temple consecration

On April 17, on Ram Navami, a mesmerising visual surfaced on the internet, showing Sun’s rays falling on the forehead of Ram Lalla idol in Ayodhya during a 'Surya tilak' ceremony.

The ‘Surya tilak’ on the first Ram Navami since the consecration of the Ram idol at the new temple, was made possible by an elaborate mechanism involving mirrors and lenses.

The system was tested by scientists on April 16.

"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 Lord Ram at noon on Shri Ram Navami in the Chaitra month every year," Dr S K Panigrahi, scientist at CSIR-CBRI Roorkee, who was associated with the project told PTI.

Elaborating further, Panigrahi said, "The position of the Sun changes every year on the day of Shri Ram Navami. Detailed calculations show that the date of Shri Ram Navami repeats every 19 years."

According to a senior scientist of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, the planned tilak size was 58 mm. The exact period of tilak on the forehead center was about three to three-and-a-half minutes, with two minutes of full illumination, he said.

The detailed complete design to bring the sunlight to the garbha griha is developed by CBRI, with the IIA providing consultancy for the optical design.

(With PTI inputs)