A grand pooja was performed at the Ayodhya Ram temple on Wednesday on the occasion of Ram Navami, first after the pran pratishtha of the idol of Ram Lalla in January this year. The 'Divya Abhisheka' of the Ram Lalla was performed at the Ayodhya Ram Temple which is also set to witness a 'Surya tilak' of the deity wherein sun rays will fall on the forehead of Ram Lalla.
The country is celebrating Ram Navami today which marks the last day of Chaitra Navratri.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his greetings on the occasion saying the ideals of Lord Ram will be the basis of a new developed India.
A 'Chappan Bhog' was also offered to Ram Lalla, said Acharya Satyendra Das, chief priest of Ram Janmabhoomi temple.
"...Chappan Bhog offered to Ram Lalla. Complete arrangements have been made. Today is Ram Navami's fair. Devotees are offering prayers and everything is special today...," he said.
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Ram Lalla's Surya Tilak With Lenses, Mirrors
At noon, the Sun's rays will directly fall on the forehead of Ram Lalla which will involve an elaborate mechanism of lenses and mirrors. The system was tested by scientists on Tuesday and the detailed complete design to bring the sunlight into garbha griha is developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, with the the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) providing consultancy for the optical design.
A Bengaluru-based company, Optics and Allied Engg Pvt Ltd (Optica) carried out the fabrication of optical elements, pipes, tilt mechanism and other related components.
"The basic objective of the Surya Tilak project is to focus a 'tilak' on the forehead of Shri Ram idol on every Shri Ram Navami day. Under the project, sunlight will be brought on the forehead of Lord Ram at noon on Shri Ram Navami in the Chaitra month every year," S K Panigrahi, scientist at CSIR-CBRI Roorkee, who was associated with the project told PTI.