India will celebrate Ram Navami, the birth anniversary of Lord Ram, on April 17. This year's celebrations in Ayodhya, his birthplace, will be particularly special as it marks the first Ram Navami after the consecration of Ram Lalla at the newly built Ram Temple.
A unique ceremony called Surya Tilak, anointing Ram Lalla with the sun's rays, is planned for this Ram Navami. The trial for this ceremony was conducted successfully on April 12.
During the Surya Tilak, sunlight will illuminate Ram Lalla's face for about four minutes, creating a circular tilak measuring 75 millimetres on his forehead. According to media reports, the concept for this ceremony, inspired by Lord Ram's Suryavanshi lineage, was proposed during the Ram Temple's construction.
According to reports, the Surya Tilak ceremony will take place at noon on Ram Navami, symbolising the time of Ram Lalla's birth. A complex system of mirrors and lenses, devised by the Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee, will be used to direct sunlight onto the idol. This system, named "Tilak of Sun Rays," requires no battery or electricity. The Surya Tilak, measuring 75 millimeters in diameter, will become an annual tradition on Ram Navami. The optomechanical system, located on the temple's third floor, will use high-quality mirrors, lenses, and strategically placed piping to ensure sunlight falls on Ram Lalla's forehead for two to three minutes.