On Ram Navami today, a grand celebration is being organised at the Ram Lalla temple in Ayodhya . As expected Ram Bhakts from across the world have gathered to take blessings and seek darshan of their much-revered deity in the city. Apart from the fact that it is the first time that Ram Navami celebrations are taking place at the newly constructed Ram Lalla temple, the Surya Tilak that shone on the forehead of the Ram Lalla idol has been a major attraction.
According to Hindu mythology, Ram was born at noon. Exactly at the same time, the Surya Tilak aka sun ray was directed at the forehead of Ram Lalla where Hindus apply their tika between the two eyebrows. There is a strong possibility that many people will think that it is a miracle but in reality, it has been possible with the help of science and astrophysics.
IIT professor explains the science behind Surya Tilak
Abhay Karandikar who is currently a Professor at IIT Bombay and former director at IIT Kanpur has explained the process in detail. On his social media handle of X, Karandikar has penned, “Indian Institute of Astrophysics @IIABengaluru, an autonomous body under @IndiaDST has played a crucial role in the #SuryaTilak Project at #Ayodhya. Sunlight was directed onto the forehead of Sri Ram Lalla at noon on April 17, 2024, on the occasion of Sri #RamNavami in the Chaitra month, and this ritual will be repeated every year.”
In a series of tweets Abhay Karandikar who is also the Secretary @ India, DST wrote, “The team led by @IIABengaluru carried out calculations of the Sun’s position, designed and optimized the optical system and performed the integration and alignment at the site.” His message also says that since the temple has not been fully completed until now, the experts at IIA made modifications to the design so that it can suit the existing structure and image optimization can be performed. The team used this design, two lenses, and four mirrors to execute this Surya Tilak process successfully.
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Karandikar has also shared the design structure images for everyone to understand in detail how the IIA team managed to do it.