The Surya Tilak (Surya Abhishek)

This year's Ram Navami in Ayodhya holds a special significance. Witnessing its first celebration since the consecration of Lord Ram's idol in the Historical Ram Temple, the occasion will be marked by a unique Hindu ritual – the Surya Tilak (Surya Abhishek). This translates to "Sun mark" in Hindi, and it signifies the precise alignment of sunlight to land on the forehead of the Ram Lalla idol at noon. preparations for the event have been completed. the Surya Abhishek will take place on April 17 at 12:16 pm.

At the time of Surya Tilak, Suryadev (sun) will be adorned in the form of 75 mm tilak on the forehead of Ram Lalla for about five minutes. Scientists of Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee completed the arrangements of Surya Tilak based on the movements of the sun. Electricity has not been used anywhere to send the sun's rays to the forehead of Ram Lalla. The optomechanical system consists of 8-9 meters of brass vertical piping with 2 high-quality mirrors, 3 lenses, and 19 gears.

Surya Tilak
Image: The Economic Times

As to how the Surya Abhishek works, the sunlight will fall on the reflector installed on the third floor of the temple and will enter into a horizontal brass pipe after getting reflected. It will then collide with the mirror and will get reflected at 90 degrees in the pipe vertically, after which the rays will pass through 3 different lenses fitted in verticle pipe and hit the mirror at the end of the pipe. After hitting the mirror installed at the other end of the vertical pipe, rays will again be reflected at 90 degrees and move in a horizontal line. In the end, the rays will hit the high-quality mirror installed in front of Ram Lalla at the Garbhagriha of the temple, which will ensure a 75 mm circular Surya tilak on the forehead of Ram Lalla.

The ritual emphasizes the ancestry of Lord Rama. He is believed to be a descendant of the Surya Vansha, believed to have originated from the Surya Devta (Sun God). The Surya Tilak directly connects Rama to his celestial roots, emphasizing his divine nature and association with Surya. It speaks of the harmonious relationship between the divine and the natural world.

The Sun's rays, like a celestial brushstroke, paint Rama with the light of creation, signifying his place within the cosmic order and his alignment with universal forces that govern the universe. Specifically symbolic is the positioning of the "tilak" on the forehead. This area is where the Ajna Chakra, the "third eye", is believed to reside. Associated with intuition, wisdom, and inner light, the sunlight's touch can be seen as a symbolic activation of these qualities within Rama and a reminder for devotees to cultivate them as well.

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