Ram Lalla’s ‘Suryatilak’ done; PM, CM call it an emotional moment

Ram Lalla’s ‘Suryatilak’ done; PM, CM call it an emotional moment

AYODHYA/LUCKNOW: A beam of sunlight fell directly on the forehead of Ram Lalla, marking the ‘Suryatilak’ of the idol on Ram Navami on Wednesday afternoon.

The magnificent ritual done at the Ram temple lasted 4 minutes — from 11.58am to 12.02pm — amid a loud cheer and chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ by devotees who gathered outside the sanctum sanctorum and watched the splendid spectacle on large LED screens.

PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath congratulated the people and termed it an ‘emotional moment’.

Modi, who watched the laser ritual onboard a flight during his election campaign, wrote on X: “After my Nalbari (Assam) rally, I watched the Surya Tilak on Ram Lalla. Like crores of Indians, this is a very emotional moment for me. The grand Ram Navami in Ayodhya is historic. May this Surya Tilak bring energy to our lives and may it inspire our nation to scale new heights and glory,” he wrote on X. He also shared pictures of him watching the ‘Suryatilak’.

Yogi also shared a video of the ‘Suryatilak’ on X. “The grand ‘Suryatilak’ adorned on the forehead of Suryakul Bhushan Shri Ram Lalla is today illuminating the entire nation with its eternal glory. Jai Jai Shri Ram!,” he wrote.

Ram Temple Trust president Nritya Gopal Das, general secretary Champat Rai, temple construction committee chairman Nripendra Misra, senior functionaries of VHP and RSS were among those who witnessed the ceremony in the temple compound.

Arun Yogiraj, sculptor of Ram Lalla idol, was also present along with his wife Vijetha.

Director of Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics and Roorkee-based CBRI along with a team of scientists who worked on the project were called as special guests for the ceremony. IIA and CBRI scientists made the ‘Suryatilak’ possible using an elaborate mechanism involving mirrors and lenses by which sunbeams were directed on the forehead of Ram Lalla.

Temple spokesperson Prakash Gupta said temple administration prevented the devotees from entering the sanctum sanctorum at the time of the ‘Suryatilak’ to avoid overcrowding.

Arun Raidas, a devotee who came from UP’s Shravasti district for the darshan of Lord Ram, said, “It was a divine experience to watch the ‘Suryatilak’. I bowed to the lord and sought his blessings for my daughter.”

Ayodhya residents and social organisations had set up several stalls of bhandaras (free meals) for the devotees along with distributing lemon water, drinking water and sweets. Ram Path and roads leading to Hanuman Garhi reverberated with bhajans which were played on loudspeakers.

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