At noon on Ram Navami on Wednesday, the Sun’s rays fell on the forehead of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, a 'Surya tilak' of the deity made possible by an elaborate mechanism involving mirrors and lenses.
This was the first Ram Navami since the consecration of the Ram idol at the new temple, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22. The system was tested by the scientists on Tuesday.
"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 said.
