At noon on Ram Navami Wednesday (April 17), the Sun's rays will fall on the forehead of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, a 'Surya tilak' of the deity made possible by an elaborate mechanism that involves mirrors and lenses.
"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.
Anil Mishra, told PTI, "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. People will be able to see the celebrations from where they are present."
The priests of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya conducted a successful trial of 'Surya Tilak' in the presence of scientists in which the Sun's rays symbolically mark the forehead of Ram Lalla's idol ahead of Ram Navami festival which will be celebrated on April 17. The trial was conducted using a special mirror.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak also shared the events and the rituals on his social media handles.
The “Surya Tilak” system has been designed by scientists at the CSIR-Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) and it will channel the ray on the idol’s forehead from noon for about six minutes.
“To achieve this, an optical lens will be placed on the third floor of the temple which will channel the ray to the ground floor through a series of reflectors placed in pipes,” Chief Scientist at the CBRI, R Dharamraju, was cited by PTI.
The “Surya Tilak” was designed by a team of scientists led by S K Panigrahi. Senior Scientist at CBRI Debdutta Ghosh said the Indian Institute of Astrophysics gave inputs based on astronomical observations and also contributed to the mechanical and structural design for the “Surya Tilak”.
CSIR-labs were among the institutes that were involved in studies to carry out the structural analysis of the temple’s design to make it able to withstand strong earthquakes and also the impact of rains, harsh winters, and scorching summers.
The CBRI was involved in conducting the 3D structure analysis of the temple design and it also suggested some modifications, Ghosh said.
“The sizes and shapes of the domes of the temple also were modified based on inputs provided by the CBRI,” he said.
(With PTI Inputs)
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
