Surya Tilak Project Ram Lalla

• 18 Apr 2024

Source: PIB

Why in News?

The Surya Tilak Project, a remarkable endeavour, recently unfolded at Ayodhya, bringing sunlight to the forehead of Sri Ram Lalla.

What is the Surya Tilak Project?

• About:
  • The Surya Tilak Project represents a unique fusion of technology and tradition, meticulously engineered to illuminate the forehead of Lord Ram's idol with a precise beam of sunlight during the revered festival of Ram Navami.
  • The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) under the Department of Science and Technology was crucial in the Surya Tilak Project at Ayodhya.
• Calculation and Positioning
  • The IIA team carried out the calculation of the sun's position, design, and optimisation of the optical system for the Surya Tilak Project.
  • The Ram Navami date varies each year following the Gregorian calendar due to its solar nature, while the Hindu calendar is lunar-based.
    • The Gregorian calendar is based on Earth's revolution around the Sun, making it a solar calendar with roughly 365 days in a year, whereas the Hindu calendar is based on the Moon's revolution around Earth, making it a lunar calendar with roughly 354 days in a year.
• Design and Implementation:
  • The Surya Tilak Project's core is its opto-mechanical system, seamlessly integrating optical and mechanical components for precise sunlight manipulation.
    • This opto-mechanical system, similar to a periscope (apparatus consisting of a tube attached to a set of mirrors or prisms, by which an observer can see things that are otherwise out of sight), uses a 19-gear system to make yearly adjustments for the sun's position.
    • Every year, one gear tooth is manually turned to adjust the angle of the pickup mirror.
      • The number 19 corresponds to the Metonic cycle, which lasts 19 years and resets the system for the Moon's phases to recur on the same days of the solar year.
  • The Surya Tilak with 4 mirrors and 2 lenses was executed, with IIA technical experts participating in testing, assembly, integration, and validation at the site.
  • The implementation of the optomechanical system at the site was done by Central Building Research Institute (CBRI): Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).

• Future Implementation
  • The final design of the Surya Tilak with 4 mirrors and 4 lenses will be implemented once the full temple is constructed, with the mechanism designed to accommodate a shift in the calendar date of Ram Navami.
• Maintenance and Challenges:
  • An annual shift of the first mirror must be performed manually before Ram Navami every year, and the mechanism will not work in the absence of sunlight due to clouds or rain.

Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA)

• The IIA, established in 1786 in Madras and later moved to Kodaikanal in 1899, became the autonomous Indian Institute of Astrophysics in 1971.
  • Its headquarters are now in Bengaluru.
• The institute is funded by the Department of Science and Technology and is a leading research and education institution in astronomy and physics.
• Its main observing facilities are located at Kodaikanal, Kavalur, Gauribidanur, and Hanle.
• The institute's activities include observational solar and atmospheric physics, nighttime astronomy with several telescopes, and the development of instruments.

Read more: Ram Temple