Uttar Pradesh
Surya Tilak Project at Ayodhya
- 18 Apr 2024
- 2 min read
Why in News?
Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), an Autonomous body under the Department of science and Technology played a crucial role in the Surya Tilak Project at Ayodhya.
Key Points
- Under the Surya Tilak project, sunlight was brought on the forehead of Sri Ram Lalla at 12 noon on the occasion of Sri Ram Navami in the Chaitra month.
- IIA team carried out the calculation of the sun position, design and optimisation of the optical system, and performed the integration & alignment at the site.
- The IIA team led the calculation for identification of the calendar days of Sri Ram Navami for one cycle of 19 years followed by its repetition, estimation of the position in the sky on the calendar dates of the Ram Navami.
- They also led the design of an opto-mechanical system to bring the sunlight from the top of the temple to the forehead of the idol, estimation of the size, shape and location of mirrors and lenses in the system for sufficient light to fall on the idol for about 6 minutes.
- The device has been manufactured by Optica, Bangalore & implementation of the opto-mechanical system at the site is being done by CSIR-CBRI (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Building Research Institute).
Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA)
- The IIA is a premier research institute in India dedicated to the study of astronomy, astrophysics, and related fields. Wholly financed by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
- It has several observational facilities, including the Vainu Bappu Observatory in Kavalur, Tamil Nadu, the Gauribidanur Radio Observatory in Karnataka, and the Hanle Observatory in Ladakh, Jammu, and Kashmir.
