Odia Scientist Leads CBRI Team in Crafting ‘Surya Tilak’ Project at Ayodhya Ram Temple

Bhubaneswar: In a noteworthy development, a team spearheaded by Odia scientist Saroj Kumar Panigrahi from the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) has crafted the innovative ‘Surya Tilak’ project at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

The groundbreaking project, designed to mark Ram Navami annually, showcases sunlight forming a ‘Tilak’ on the forehead of Lord Ram’s idol without the need for electricity, batteries, iron, or steel. The manually operated system employs sunlight, mirrors, and lenses, with brass being the chosen material for its construction.

The circular Tilak is set to grace Lord Ram’s forehead for three to four minutes at noon on Ram Navami. Scientists from the Roorkee-based CBRI collaborated with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics and a Bengaluru-based engineering institute to bring this unique project to fruition.

Saroj Kumar Panigrahi, an Odisha-born scientist leading the project, holds a PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee. Having completed his B.Tech from Burla Engineering College and M.Tech from the erstwhile Regional Engineering College (REC) in Rourkela, Panigrahi has been contributing to the CBRI as a scientist.