PM Modi Witnesses Grand Surya Tilak Ceremony At Ayodhya Ram Mandir On Ram Navami

The festival, marking the birth of Lord Ram, falls on the ninth day of Chaitra Navratri.

While most parts of the country celebrated the festival on Thursday, the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple observed it on Friday. The Uttar Pradesh government declared a two-day holiday on Thursday and Friday on account of Ram Navami.

At around noon, during the auspicious 'Abhijit Muhurat', the Surya Tilak ritual was carried out, with precisely channelled sun rays illuminating the deity's forehead for about nine minutes through a specially aligned system of lenses, a temple trust member said.

Fourteen priests conducted the rituals inside the sanctum sanctorum in accordance with Vedic traditions. Following the ceremony, the temple doors were briefly closed and 'bhog' comprising 56 dishes was offered to the deity.