'Surya Tilak' illuminates Ram Lalla's Forehead in Ayodhya on Ram Navami | The Science behind The 'Surya Tilak'

At noon, today, the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya witnessed a unique event as the 

forehead of the Ram Lalla idol was anointed with a ray of sunlight, known as 'Surya Tilak' on the occasion of Ram Navami.

• This is the first Ram Navami since the consecration of the Ram idol at the new temple on January 22.

• Ram Navami celebrates the birth of Lord Ram.

The ceremony is also said to be significant as Lord Ram belonged to the Ishvaku clan, believed to be the descendants of the Sun, or Suryavanshis.

"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.“

"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."

About The Tilak

The planned tilak size is 58 mm.

The exact period of tilak on the forehead centre is about three to three-and-a-half minutes, with two minutes of full illumination.

During the Surya tilak, devotees will be allowed inside the Ram temple.

Around 100 LEDs are being put up by the temple trust, and 50 by the government, which will show the Ram Navami celebrations.

The Science behind the Tilak ?

Scientists from IIT-Roorkee were roped in to design the Surya Tilak mechanism.

They employed an apparatus with high-quality mirrors and lenses to precisely direct the Sun's rays onto Ram Lalla's forehead at a specific time.

Reports suggest the apparatus is a gearbox arranged with reflective mirrors and lenses.

It will help sunrays from the third floor near the ‘shikara' to be reflected into the ‘garbhagriha' (sanctum sanctorum) at a specific time.

The tilak apparatus used components made of brass and bronze materials for their durability and corrosion resistance.

No electricity or battery or iron is used in the gear-based Surya Tilak mechanism.

The optical path, pipings, and tip-tilts are designed without springs for longevity and low maintenance.

The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, provided technical support on the Sun's path, And Optica, a Bengaluru-based company, is involved in manufacturing the lenses and brass tubes.

The Ancient Science of Suryabhishek

While the Surya Abhishek in Ayodhya uses lenses and mirrors to guide the Sun's rays onto Ram Lalla's forehead, Ancient Indian temples traditionally incorporated astronomically calculated openings in and around the garbhagriha to allow sunlight to directly illuminate the deity on specific days, combining tradition with technology.

The ritual and scope of Surya Abhishek has been a norm in several Jain temples and Hindu sun temples across India.