Devotees Witnessed the Grandeur of Surya Tilak on Ram Navami
Today’s day marked the last day of Chaitra Navratri and Indians were seen beaming with excitement as Ayodhyawasis celebrated their first Ram Navami in Ram Lalla’s presence. The newly built Ram Mandir at Ayodhya was all-decked up with flowers, celebrating the birthday of Lord Ram. Following the excitement, devotees who paid their visit to the Ram Mandir today were blessed with the opportunity to witness a ‘Surya Abhishek’, wherein the sun’s rays fell directly on Ram Lalla’s forehead at noon.
The Holy Ritual of Surya Tilak is commemorated as a significant part of the Suryavanshi Dynasty, as Lord Rama is a descendant of that lineage. It originates from the Sun God, Surya, and the ritual not only celebrates the physical embodiment of the sun’s energy in the form of Surya Tilak but also symbolizes Lord Ram’s embodiment of Surya’s qualities-radiance, power, and guidance. On Ram Navami, devotees experienced the sun’s rays falling on Ram Lalla’s forehead for four minutes in a circular motion ranging 75 mm. Dr SK Panigrahi, a scientist at CSIR-CBRI Roorkee who was closely related to the project had said earlier in an interview, “The exact period of tilak on the forehead center is about three to three-and-a-half minutes, with two minutes of full illumination.”
Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) on Wednesday morning, the temple authorities shared pictures of ‘divya abhishek’ of Lord Ram’s idol. Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other prominent leaders such as Union Minister Amit Shah expressed their happiness and satisfaction to witness Ram Lalla finally back at his ‘permanent home’ at his birthplace in Ayodhya. Surya Tilak was to be observed at 12 noon and continued for approximately five minutes, with the peak moment of alignment which lasted for approximately two to three minutes. As for the occasion of Ram Navami, the temple timings had also been extended till 11 pm, and devotees had been advised to avoid coming to the temple and instead watch the live telecast of the event on Doordarshan.
Besides the Surya Tilak Cermeony, Ram Lalla was offered 56 Bhog and three types of Panjiri, alongside Panchamrit. Sculptor Arun Yogiraj, who made Ram Lalla’s sacred idol said “We are in Ayodhya for the first time after the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony. My family was very happy after seeing my work. We are anxiously waiting for the Ram Navami celebration.” Special pass bookings for Darshan and Aarti have also been canceled between 16 to 19 April by the temple trust and advisories have been issued informing the public that they need to follow the same path to enter the Ram Mandir like other devotees. Earlier a member from the temple authorities had shared highlights about the arrangements being made for the Surya Tilak, sharing that around 100 LEDs were being put by the temple trust and 50 from the government’s side to show the live screening of the ceremony to the public from their present places.
Ram Mandir, Ayodhya
The sacred Ram Mandir consecration ceremony took place on January 22, 2024, following decades-old legal battles. The temple was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the event was attended by several dignitaries from around the world.