Ram Lalla’s First Ram Navami: How Science Has Made It Possible for Surya Tilak of the Deity in Ayodhya
At 12 pm today, sunrays illuminated the forehead of Ram Lalla, seated in the sanctum sanctorum of Ram Mandir. The sunlight falling on Ram Lalla’s forehead created a Surya Tilak
On Ram Navami today, a special thing happened. Ram Lalla, who was welcomed to Ayodhya’s Ram Temple in January, witnessed Surya Tilak or Surya Abhishek in which sunrays fell on the deity illuminating its forehead. Lord Ram from the Ishvaku clan is believed to the descendants of the Sun God or Suryavanshis.
#SuryaTilak: Sun rays graces Ram Lalla's forehead in Ayodhya's Ram temple; divine ceremony begins! @siddhantvm with the latest updates#RamNavami #LordRam #RamLala #Ayodhya pic.twitter.com/yGtJ6dFvDl— News18 (@CNNnews18) April 17, 2024
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What is the Science Behind It?
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. Based on the lunar calendar, the gearbox has been engineered to accurately position the sun on Ram Navami day each year, as mentioned in a report by India Today. The optical path, pipings, and tip-tilts are designed without springs for longevity and low maintenance.
Scientists have already done trials of the Surya Tilak mechanism.
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.
CBRI scientist Dr Pradeep Chauhan, who helped in the design of the Ram temple, says, “100% the Surya Tilak will anoint the forehead of the idol of Ram Lalla", as quoted by NDTV. “No electricity or battery or iron is used in the gear-based Surya Tilak mechanism".
Pancha Dhathu, a traditional Indian alloy, has also been used in the surya tilak apparatus. Former Isro scientist Manish Purohit said, as quoted by India Today, three things have been considered while ensuring the Sun’s rays illuminate Ram Lalla’s forehead — Archaeoastronomy, metonic cycle and analemma.
Archaeoastronomy is a practice used to design monuments utilising celestial positions, said the scientist. While analemma is a figure-eight curve that tracks the Sun’s changing position yearly due to Earth’s tilt and orbit. Lastly, the Metonic cycle is a period of around 19 years during which the phases of the Moon realign with the same days of the year. This cycle was consulted to ensure the coming together of the date of Ram Navami and the ‘tithi’ it falls on, said Manish Purohit.
How Surya Abhishek is Done in Other Temples
Survya Abhishek is being practised in several Jain and Hindu sun temples.
Suriyanar Kovil Temple (Tamil Nadu): The 11-12th century temple dedicated to Surya is designed in such a way that sunlight aligns with specific points in the temple during certain times of the year, illuminating the deity, Suriyanar (Sun) and his consorts Ushadevi and Pratyusha Devi.
Nanarayanaswamy Temple (Andhra Pradesh): In Nagalapuram district, the temple hosts a five-day Surya Puja Mahotsavam during which the Sun’s rays penetrate the temple and transition through phases each day. In the five days, the Sun’s rays move from the feet to the navel of the presiding deity in the garbhagriha, which is the ‘Matsya avatar’ (fish) of Lord Vishnu.
Mahalakshmi Temple (Maharashtra): The Chalukyan Mahalakshmi Temple in Kolhapur is known for its Kiranotsav, which is a bi-annual event. The rare Kiranotsav event takes place when the sunrays directly fall on the deity’s idol in the temple through the Garud Mandap to reach the ‘garbhagriha’. The sunrays fall on the feet of the goddess Mahalaxmi twice a year and also on the central part of the idol on two days. On two specific days, the sunlight bathes the entire idol.
Koba Jain Temple (Gujarat): Surya Abhishek takes place annually in the Koba Jain Temple in Ahmedabad, when sunrays fall directly on the forehead of the marble statue of the deity, Mahaveerswami, at 2.07 pm for three minutes. The annual event at Koba is attended by lakhs of Jains around the globe.
Unav Balaji Surya Temple (Madhya Pradesh): The temple hosts a festival in Datia dedicated to its deity, the Sun God. The first rays of Sun at dawn falls directly on the idol in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
Modhera Sun Temple (Gujarat): The Modhera Sun Temple dating back to the 11th century sees a similar unique phenomenon where sunrays enter the temple and fall on the idol of Sun God twice a year.
Konark Sun Temple (Odisha): The 13th-century temple, dedicated to the Sun God, is known for the way sunlight bathed the temple, particularly at sunrise. The design ensures that the first rays of the Sun touch the temple’s main entrance, then filter through its different doorways, casting light upon the ‘garbhagriha’ inside.
Ranakpur Jain Temples (Rajasthan): The 15th-century Ranakpur Temple in the Aravallis is made of white marbles designed in a way to make way for sunlight to enter its inner sanctum. The architecture also allows the Sun’s rays to cascade directly onto the idol of the Sun God.
Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple (Karnataka): The Gavipuram Cave Temple, near Bengaluru, is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Every Makar Sankranti, sunrays illuminate the statue of Nandi, then reaches the feet of the Shivlingam, and finally covers the entire deity. Carved from a particular type of rock, the garbhagriba enables direct sunlight to penetrate its otherwise dark cave interior.
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