How science will get Sun to kiss Ram Lalla’s forehead on Ram Navami

How science will get Sun to kiss Ram Lalla’s forehead on Ram Navami

Mangalore Today News Network

Ayodhya, April 17, 2024: This will be Ram Lalla’s first Ram Navami at his newly built home, the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Something special is going to take place on this special occasion. The Sun will kiss the deity’s forehead in a ritual known as Surya Abhishek or Surya Tilak.

Ram Navami is on April 17 this year.

 

 

During the ritual, the Sun’s rays will be focused on Ram Lalla’s forehead as a Surya Tilak. It is also significant because Lord Ram is from the Ishvaku clan, believed to be the descendents of the Sun, or Suryavanshis.

Scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, (IIT-R) were roped in to design the Surya Tilak mechanism.

WHAT IS SURYA TILAK OR SURYA ABHISHEK?

The term Surya Abhishek is derived from Surya (sun) and abhishek (a purifying ritual).

Surya Abhishek is actually a mix of optics and mechanics at play, where the sun’s rays are made to fall on the deity’s forehead, as a symbol of reverence.

However, the practice of Surya Abhishek using mechanics is not new and has been essential to the ancient temples of the Indian subcontinent.

The same mechanism has been used in the Ram temple, but the engineering is a bit different.

SURYABHISHEK AT AYODHYA RAM MANDIR ON RAM NAVAMI

At precisely 12 noon on April 17, sun’s rays will light up the forehead of Ram Lalla, seated in the sanctum of Ram Mandir, for around two to two-and-a-half minutes.

The sunlight illuminating Ram Lalla’s forehead will create a ’Surya Tilak’.

The Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust, responsible for the Ram Temple’s management, has been working towards ensuring the project’s success.

The preparations of the Surya Tilak started early on, when scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IIT-R) were roped in to design the Surya Tilak mechanism.

Two trials have already taken place to ensure a smooth Surya Abhishek ceremony on Ram Navami (April 17 this year), with the IIT team employing an apparatus with high-quality mirrors and lenses to precisely direct the Sun’s rays onto Ram Lalla’s forehead at a specific time.

The apparatus, according to reports, is a gearbox arranged with reflective mirrors and lenses. It will help sunrays from the third floor near the shikara to be reflected into the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) at a specific time.

The tilak apparatus used components made of brass and bronze materials for their durability and corrosion resistance. Based on the lunar calendar, the gearbox has been engineered to accurately position the sun on Ram Navami day each year.

The optical path, pipings, and tip-tilts are designed without springs for longevity and low maintenance.

Pancha Dhathu, a traditional Indian alloy, has also been used in the surya tilak apparatus.

THE ANCIENT SCIENCE OF SURYABHISHEK

While the Surya Abhishek in Ayodhya uses lenses and mirrors to guide the Sun’s rays onto Ram Lalla’s forehead, ancient Indian temples traditionally incorporated astronomically calculated openings in and around the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) to allow sunlight to directly illuminate the deity on specific days, combining tradition with technology.

The ritual and scope of Surya Abhishek has been a norm in several Jain temples and Hindu sun temples across India.

Suriyanar Kovil temple, Tamil Nadu: One of the most prominent temples where Suryabhishek is performed is the Suriyanar Kovil temple. The temple from the 11-12th century dedicated to Surya is known for its unique blend of architectural and astronomical know-hows.

The temple is designed in such a way that sunlight aligns with specific points in the temple during certain times of the year, illuminating the deity, Suriyanar (Sun) and his consorts Ushadevi and Pratyusha Devi.

Nanarayanaswamy Temple, Andhra Pradesh: In Nagalapuram district, the Nanarayanaswamy Temple hosts a five-day Surya Puja Mahotsavam, during which the Sun’s rays penetrate the temple and transition through phases each day.

In the five days, the Sun’s rays move from the feet to the navel of the presiding deity in the garbhagriha, which is the ’Matsya avatar’ (fish) of Lord Vishnu.

Mahalakshmi Temple, Maharashtra: The Chalukyan Mahalakshmi Temple in Kolhapur is known for its Kiranotsav, which is a bi-annual event.

The rare Kiranotsav event (festival of sunray) occurs when the sun’s rays directly fall on the deity’s idol in the temple through the Garud Mandap to reach the garbhagriha.

While the Sun’s rays fall on the feet of the goddess Mahalaxmi twice a year and on the central part of the idol also on two days.

On two specific days, the sunlight bathes the entire idol.

Koba Jain Temple, Gujarat: Surya Tilak is also seen annually in the Koba Jain Temple in Ahmedabad, when the Sun’s rays fall directly on the forehead of the marble statue of the deity, Mahaveerswami, at exactly 2.07pm for three minutes.

The annual event at Koba is a spectacle and is attended by lakhs of Jains around the globe, says Jain Treasures, a website on Jain pilgrimage worldwide.

Unav Balaji Surya Temple, Madhya Pradesh: The Unav Balaji Surya Temple in Madhya Pradesh’s Datia also hosts a festival dedicated to its deity, the Sun God, when the first rays of the Sun at dawn falls directly on the idol in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

Modhera Sun Temple, Gujarat: The Modhera Sun Temple, dating back to the 11th century, also sees a similar unique phenomenon where sunrays enter the temple and fall on the idol of the Sun God two specific days a year.

Konark Sun Temple, Odisha: Among the most renowned Sun temples is the one at Odisha’s Konark. The 13th-century temple, dedicated to the Sun God, is known for the way sunlight bathed the temple, particularly at sunrise. The design ensured that the first rays of the Sun touch the temple’s main entrance, then filter through its different doorways, casting light upon the garbhagriha within.

However, due to ongoing conservation, the doors leading to the garbhagriha and the main deity at the Konark Sun Temple are closed to the public.

Ranakpur Jain Temples, Rajasthan: Nestled in the Aravalis is the 15th-century Ranakpur Temple. The white marble marvel was designed in a way to make way for sunlight to enter its interior, casting a radiant glow on the Jain temple’s inner sanctum.

The architecture also allows the Sun’s rays to cascade directly onto the idol of the Sun god.

Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple, Karnataka: The Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple, also known as the Gavipuram Cave Temple, near Bengaluru, is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Every year on Makar Sankranti, the Sun’s rays illuminate the statue of Nandi first, then reaches the feet of the Shivlingam, and finally, then covers the entire deity.

Carved from a particular type of rock, the garbhagriba enables direct sunlight to penetrate its otherwise dark cave interior.

Surya Abhishek, apart from in these temples, can also be seen in Tamil Nadu’s Avudaiyar Koil Temple, Nageswaram Temple, Khajuraho’s Viswanath Temple and Sringeri’s Saradamba Temple, among others.

Millions watched the pran pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol on January 22. The Surya Abhishek on April 17 will be another moment when people from across the world will watch the Sun’s rays kiss the forehead of Ram Lalla. It will be a moment when sunlight will take both tradition and science into its warm embrace.

Courtesy: India Today