"Emotional": PM Watches 'Surya Tilak' Ritual At Ram Temple On iPad On Plane

The 'Surya Tilak' ceremony which was held at Ayodhya's Ram Temple today on the occasion of Ram Navami was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the temple's construction committee's chief said. 

Nripendra Mishra, the chairman of the Ram Temple Construction Committee, said that the Prime Minister conceptualised the idea when the construction of the Ram Temple was on its final leg. The proposal was simple: to ensure that on every Ram Navami, the rays of the sun would hit the forehead of the Ram Lalla idol placed in the temple's sanctum sanctorum. To make the PM's dream come true, a collaborative effort ensued, with experts and scientists from Maharashtra and Karnataka engaged in the project.

After the ritual was carried out, Prime Minister Modi shared on social media photos of him watching a live telecast of the event. The PM described the moment as "wonderful and incomparable."

"After the Nalbari meeting, I had the privilege of witnessing the wonderful and incomparable moment of Surya Tilak of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya. This much-awaited moment of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi is a moment of bliss for everyone. This Surya Tilak will illuminate every resolution of developed India with its divine energy in the same way," PM Modi posted on social media. 

Using state-of-the-art technology, a 5.8 centimetre ray of light was targeted onto the deity's forehead. This feat was made possible through the development of a specialised apparatus. Ten distinguished Indian scientists, stationed at the Ram Mandir, made sure that the ritual was carried out smoothly. From precisely 12 noon, for a duration of approximately 3 to 3.5 minutes, sunlight was channelled onto the statue's forehead.

The development of the 'Surya Tilak' mechanism involved collaboration between scientists from CBRI, Roorkee, and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIAP), Bengaluru.