Ram Navami Ayodhya 2024 Celebrations
For the first time in over five centuries, the divine deity of Lord Ram is celebrating the day of his appearance in human form on Earth at the site of his birthplace in Ayodhya’s grand Ram temple. The celebratory fervour is running high and devotees from across India and beyond are congregating at the holy town to view the divine sight of Ram Lalla on Ram Navami.
Ram Navami Ayodhya Ram Lalla Highlights
- The temple complex is gleaming with lights and flowers and a red carpet adorns the Janmabhoomi Path.
- Anil Mishra, a Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust member, mentioned that devotees would be permitted inside the Ram temple during the ‘Surya Tilak’.
- Ram Lalla is adorned in yellow attire.
- India’s public broadcaster Prasar Bharati will broadcast live coverage of the Ram Navami celebrations at the Ram Mandir on Doordarshan.
What is Surya Tilak and How It Would Be Performed?
Surya Abhishek or Surya Tilak is set to take place at noon as the rays of the Sun will fall on the deity’s forehead. The phenomenon would be highly controlled and guided in which rays would be captured and diverted via a series of optical apparatus.
The rays of the Sun will shine on the idol’s forehead for four minutes in a circular form spanning 75 millimetres.
Dr SK Panigrahi, a scientist at CSIR-CBRI Roorkee, who was associated with the Surya Tilak project, said the Tilak will be on the centre of the forehead for two to three minutes. “The exact period of tilak on the forehead centre is about three to three-and-a-half minutes, with two minutes of full illumination,” he was quoted as saying in media reports.
Ram Lalla’s Surya Tilak Schedule
How will the ‘Surya Tilak’ form? The ‘Surya Tilak’ is set to be formed by the natural sunlight around 12 pm on the forehead of Ram Lalla and will last for “three to four minutes, potentially extending to around six minutes.”
A sophisticated lunar calendar gear mechanism has been used in this project. As per the temple authorities, the system can be sustained for 100 years with the use of “Pancha Dhatu” in its installation and fabrication.
Ram Lalla’s Surya Tilak took place at about 12:00 pm (Indian Standard Time). The devotees who thronged the deity’s birthplace in Ayodhya were left mesmerised, and so were millions of worshippers viewing the event live across the world. The Sun’s rays fell on the forehead of Ram Lalla in the form of a ‘surya tilak’ on the occasion of Ram Navami.