Berhampur: ‘Surya Tilak’ illuminates Ram Lalla’s forehead; odia scientist heads project

Berhampur : The forehead of Ram Lalla idol was anointed with a ray of sunlight (‘Surya Tilak’) in Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir on Ram Navami amidst huge rush of devotees on Wednesday. 

“There was great tension and we heaved a sigh of relief after the project achieved cent percent success”, said Saroj Kumar Panigrahi, Odia scientist at the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI)-Roorkee, who led a team of 10 scientists stationed at the Ram Mandir to ensure the success of this auspicious event.

The weather was conducive for the event with a sunny and clear sky. “The primary goal of ‘Surya Tilak’ project is to place a ‘tilak’ on the forehead of the Shri Ram idol during each Shri Ram Navami celebration. As part of this initiative, sunlight was directed onto the forehead of Lord Ram precisely from 11.58 am to 12.02 pm on Shri Ram Navami in the Chaitra month annually,” explained Saroj Panigrahi.

“The opto-mechanical system consists of four mirrors and four lenses fitted inside the tilt mechanism and piping systems. The complete cover with an aperture for the tilt mechanism is placed at the top floor to divert the sun rays through mirrors and lenses to the Garbha Girha,” he said.

The technical support from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics and the manufacturing expertise of Optica, a Bengaluru-based company, further helped the project’s execution. ”The mirrors and lenses are of very high quality and durable enough to sustain a long period. The inner surfaces of pipes, elbows and enclosures are black powder-coated to avoid scattering of sunlight.

Also, at the top aperture, an infrared (IR) filter glass was used to restrict the Sun’s heat waves from falling on the idol’s forehead. The ray is so hot that if one tries to touch it without the IF filter glass, his body will burn”, said Saroj Panigrahi.

The apparatus, featuring mirrors and lenses, has now been dismantled and kept in a room after the success of this event to safely preserve it for Ram Navami next year. This mechanism, officially termed the ‘Surya Tilak mechanism’, marks a significant scientific and engineering feat.