On the occasion of Sri Ram Navami, today, April 17th, the Ayodhya Ram Mandir will witness the Sun Tilak ceremony for Lord Ramlala. At 12:16 PM, the rays of the sun will adorn the forehead of the deity, creating a divine spectacle. Devotees worldwide can witness this extraordinary event live on the various TV channels and social media .
The temple gates opened at 3:30 AM, with scientists from Roorkee’s Central Building Research Institute and Bengaluru’s Indian Institute of Astrophysics ensuring technical arrangements for the ceremony. Ramlala will be available for darshan for 19 hours today. The day’s rituals will commence with abhishek, decoration, and aarti. The morning aarti will be at 12 PM, followed by bhog aarti at 12:30 PM. Darshan will resume at 12:50 PM, with the evening aarti scheduled at 6:15 PM.
Ramlala will be adorned in yellow garments embedded with gold, silver, and jewels crafted by renowned designer Manish Tripathi. Helicopters will shower flowers over Dharm Path, Ram Path, Saryu Ghat, Ram’s footsteps, and the temple premises.
In Hanumangarhi, darshan will begin at 3:30 AM, with intermittent closures for rituals. The night aarti will conclude the day’s festivities at 11:30 PM.
Astrologically, a rare confluence reminiscent of the Treta Yuga is occurring during the Sun Tilak ceremony. Nine auspicious yogas will coincide with the adorning of Ramlala’s forehead, as described in the Valmiki Ramayana.
The ceremony marks a significant milestone in the ongoing festivities at Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir, commemorating the birth anniversary of Lord Ram.