This Is How Ayodhya Ram Mandir Looks From Space | Indian Satellite Captures First Image

Ahead of the grand Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has shared the first visuals of the magnificent mandir as captured by our own indigenous satellite from space.

In the photos shared by the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), one of the primary centres of ISRO, the under-construction Ram Mandir can be seen with an enlarged view.

The photos of the under-construction temple were captured on December 16, 2023, by ISRO’s IRS Cartosat Satellite, nearly a month before the consecration ceremony, NRSC said.

Apart from the 2.7-acre Ram Temple site, the images also show Ayodhya’s famous Dashrath Mahal and Sarayu River along with the newly renovated railway station in the city.

More recent images of the site could not be captured as dense fog over most parts of north India obstructed the clear view.

The construction of the grand temple started three years ago. Its first phase is nearing completion with the ground floor and the ‘grabha griha’ (sanctum sanctorum) all set for inauguration on Monday, January 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the “pran pratishtha” or the consecration ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol.

‘Surya Tilak’ to Illuminate Ram Lalla’s Forehead on Ram Navami

As the nation is set to welcome Ram Lalla tomorrow, the scientists at the CSIR-Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) designed a sophisticated arrangement of lenses and mirrors which will direct a beam of sunlight into the innermost sanctum of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, converging it precisely on the forehead of Ram Lalla in the form of “Surya Tilak”.

The “Surya Tilak” system is orchestrated to focus the sunlight onto the idol’s forehead for approximately six minutes starting from noon. Notably, the “Surya Tilak” was designed by a team of scientists led by S K Panigrahi. Senior Scientist at CBRI Debdutta Ghosh said the Indian Institute of Astrophysics gave inputs based on astronomical observations and also contributed to the mechanical and structural design for the “Surya Tilak”.

Detailing the arrangement, CBRI chief scientist R Dharamraju said, “To achieve this, an optical lens will be placed on the third floor of the temple which will channel the ray to the ground floor through a series of reflectors placed in pipes.”