How was 'Surya Tilak' on Ram Lalla's forehead achieved? Temple priest explains

Ayodhya: The 'Surya tilak' of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya was done at noon on Wednesday on the occasion of Ram Navami using an elaborate mechanism involving mirrors and lenses by which sunbeams were directed on the forehead of Ram idol.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi saw the 'Surya tilak' during his election campaign. In a post on X, the prime minister wrote, "After my Nalbari (Assam) rally, I watched the Surya Tilak on Ram Lalla. Like crores of Indians, this is a very emotional moment for me. The grand Ram Navami in Ayodhya is historic. May this Surya tilak bring energy to our lives and may it inspire our nation to scale new heights and glory.” He also shared pictures of him watching the Surya tilak on an electronic device.

After my Nalbari rally, I watched the Surya Tilak on Ram Lalla. Like crores of Indians, this is a very emotional moment for me. The grand Ram Navami in Ayodhya is historic. May this Surya Tilak bring energy to our lives and may it inspire our nation to scale new heights of glory. pic.twitter.com/QqDpwOzsTP

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 17, 2024

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also shared a video of the 'Surya tilak' on his official handle on 'X' and wrote, "The grand 'Surya tilak' adorned on the forehead of Suryakul Bhushan Shri Ram Lalla is today illuminating the entire nation with its eternal glory. 'Jai Jai Shri Ram!'.

This is the first Ram Navami since the consecration of the Ram idol at the new temple, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22 this year.

Prakash Gupta, spokesperson of the temple told PTI, "The Surya tilak was done for around 4-5 minutes when the sun rays were directly focused on the forehead of the Ram Lalla idol." "The temple administration prevented the devotees from entering the sanctum sanctorum at the time of the Surya tilak to avoid overcrowding," Gupta said.

Dr DP Kanungo, Chief Scientist at CSIR-CBRI, Roorkee, told PTI, "As planned, the Surya Tilak of Ram Lalla was executed at 12:00 pm." The devotees waiting outside the sanctum sanctorum hailed slogans of Lord Ram during the Surya tilak while the priests conducted ‘aarti’ inside.

As per an official statement, a crown made of sustainable precious gemstones was adorned by the idol of Ram Lalla on the occasion. The crown was made by Apple Green Diamond, a firm that specialises in recrystallized gems.

District officials said thousands of devotees began queuing at the temple even before the break of dawn to offer prayers. Special arrangements were made to accomodate them.

In consultation with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore, the CSIR-CBRI, Roorkee team developed a mechanism for 19 years to steer the sunlight from the third floor of the temple to the 'garbha griha'.

According to a senior scientist of the 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 centre was about three to three-and-a-half minutes, with two minutes of full illumination.

A detailed design to bring sunlight to the 'garbha griha' was developed by CBRI, with the IIA providing consultancy for the optical design.

The system was tested by the scientists on Tuesday.

Dr S K Panigrahi, a scientist at CSIR-CBRI Roorkee, who was also associated with the project said that the basic objective of the Surya tilak project is to focus on the '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.