Ram Mandir Consecration Ceremony: All About the Unique Sun Ray Apparatus on Shikhar by Which Sun's Rays Will Fall on Ram Lalla Idol Every Ram Navami

The consecration ceremony of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya is expected to take place on January 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other top leaders are expected to grace the grand occasion in the holy city. As per temple authorities, the temple in Ayodhya is likely to open for devotees on January 24 after the consecration of Ram Lalla idol. The temple will be 250 feet wide, 380 feet long and 161 feet (49 m) high. After its completion, the temple complex will be the world's third-largest Hindu temple. Ram Lalla’s Idol Details: Height, Weight and Everything You Need to Know About Lord Ram’s Idol Placed Inside Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

One of the main highlights of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya is the Sun Rays Apparatus that will be installed on the 'Shikhar' of the temple. In this article, we bring to you all the details about the unique sun ray apparatus on ‘shikhar’.

1. The apparatus will make the sun rays fall momentarily on the forehead of the deity in the sanctum sanctorum on the day of Ram Navami every year.
2. As per an interview by PTI with temple Construction Committee Chairperson Nripendra Mishra, a unique apparatus is being designed to make sun rays fall momentarily on the deity's forehead on the day of Ram Navami every year and it is being developed in Bengaluru, overseen by scientists.
3. According to media reports, the sun apparatus ensures the appearance of a 'tilak' on the forehead of the idol in the sanctum sanctorum using sunlight, mirrors, and lenses. The project named 'Surya Rashmiyon Ka Tilak' which means ‘anointment by sun rays’, is a mechanical system. It does not require electricity or battery used brass instead of iron or steel.
4. The research and calculations to ensure that the Sun’s rays fall on the Ramlalla idol at the same time on every Ram Navami, were carried out by a team of experts from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, and Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru.
5. SK Panigrahi, the chief scientist and principal investigator of the project, was quoted by TOI saying that the circular ‘tilak’, measuring 75 mm, will grace Lord Ram’s forehead at noon for three to four minutes on Ram Navami in the Chaitra month.
6. According to a report by TOI, the arrangement has been planned only for Ram Navami every year. The optomechanical system, which will be installed on the temple’s third floor, has high-quality mirrors (M1 and M2), a lens (L1), and vertical piping with lenses (L2 and L3) fixed at specific angles. Ground floor components include mirrors (M3 & M4) and a lens (L4).
7. Explaining the process, Panigrahi said that the sunlight falls on M1, travels through L1, M2, L1, L2, M3 (installed outside the garbha-griha), and finally on M4, bringing a ‘tilak’ on the forehead of the idol.

The Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir is designed in the Gurjara-Chaulukya style of Nagara style architecture. It will be a three-story structure with each floor having a height of 20 feet.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 22, 2024 11:24 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).