On Ram Navmi, Ram Lalla receives the “Surya Tilak” award at Ayodhya; PM Modi describes it as a “emotional moment.”

On Wednesday at noon, Ram Lalla in Ayodhya performed his “Surya Tilak” in honor of Ram Navami. A complex system of mirrors and lenses was used to reflect sunlight onto Ram Lalla’s forehead.

While running for office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed “Surya Tilak.” The prime minister said, “I watched the Surya Tilak on Ram Lalla after my Nalbari (Assam) rally.” in a post on X. With me, as with many Indians, this is a very sentimental time. Ayodhya’s magnificent Ram Navami is a historic event. May this Surya tilak infuse our lives with vitality and motivate our country to achieve unprecedented heights and splendor.

Additionally, he uploaded photos of himself using an electronic gadget to watch “Surya Tilak.”

On his official X account, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also posted a video of the “Surya Tilak,” captioning it, “Today, the entire nation is illuminated by the eternal glory of the grand “Surya tilak” that is adorned on the forehead of Suryakul Bhushan Shri Ram Lalla.” I salute you, Shri Ram.

Since the Ram statue at the new temple was dedicated on January 22 of this year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this is the inaugural Ram Navami celebration.

“The ‘Surya Tilak’ was done for around 4-5 minutes when the sun rays were directly focused on the forehead of the Ram Lalla idol,” said Prakash Gupta, the temple’s spokesman.

“To avoid overcrowding during the ‘Surya Tilak,’ the temple administration forbade the devotees from entering the sanctum sanctorum,” according to Gupta.

“As planned, the ‘Surya Tilak’ of Ram Lalla was executed at 12 pm,” said Chief Scientist DP Kanungo of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) in Roorkee.

While the priests performed “aarti” within the sanctum sanctorum during “Surya Tilak,” the devotees waiting outside sang Lord Ram’s praises.

According to an official release, the idol of Ram Lalla was decorated with a crown made of sustainable precious jewels on this special occasion. Apple Green Diamond, a company that specializes in recrystallized stones, created the crown.

Thousands of devotees reportedly started lining up at the temple before it opened to offer prayers, according to district authorities. They were given special attention and accommodations.

For 19 years, the CSIR-CBRI team worked with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bangalore to design a system that would direct sunlight from the temple’s third level to the “garbha griha.”

A top scientist at the CSIR-CBRI said that the intended Tilak size was 58 mm. With two minutes of full light, the Tilak on the forehead center lasted precisely three to three and a half minutes.

CBRI created a comprehensive plan to illuminate the “garbha griha,” while the IIA offered optical design consulting.

The scientists tested the system on Tuesday.

The main goal of the “Surya Tilak” project, according to S K Panigrahi, a scientist at CSIR-CBRI who was also involved in it, is to draw attention to the “Tilak” on the brow of the Ram idol on each Ram Navami day. As part of the scheme, Lord Ram would get sunshine on his forehead every year on Ram Navami in the month of Chaitra at noon.