Surya Tilak On Ram Navami At Ayodhya Ram Mandir

Grand Celebration at Ayodhya

The Ram Navami festival received holy observance at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir through its dedicated religious practices. This celebration marks the third Ram Navami after the consecration (Prana Pratishtha) of the idol of Lord Rama.
The Surya Tilak served as the main attraction at the celebration. Sunlight created a bright mark which appeared on the forehead of the Bal Rama idol. Devotees experienced happiness and religious devotion during this sacred moment. The event attracted a huge number of visitors who came from various locations throughout India and other nations.

How the Surya Tilak Works

The temple received installation of a special system which controls sunlight movement to the sacred idol. The system focuses light on the forehead of Bal Rama inside the sanctum (Garbhagriha).

The system consists of primary elements which include the following components:

The system uses a dedicated network of pipes which maintains a fixed flow path. The system uses convex and concave lenses for light focusing. The system uses a light-collection device which operators installed at the top of the temple spire.
Sunlight enters through the device and travels through the pipe system. The lenses control how light travels through the system. The result is a clear and bright tilak on the idol’s forehead.
The Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) scientists created this system. The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) researchers from Bengaluru provided the technical assistance.

Mechanism for Annual Alignment

The Surya Tilak shows up every year during Ram Navami. Engineers developed a system which keeps proper alignment throughout all twelve months of the year.

The system operates with a gear-based system which functions like a clock. The system shifts the light-capturing equipment to different positions based on the time of day.