No more reels: Smartphones banned at 52 major temples in Tamil Nadu, special counters set up

CHENNAI: Devotees visiting 52 major temples in Tamil Nadu will no longer be allowed to carry smartphones inside the temple premises. The new rule, introduced by the Vijay government, came into effect on Tuesday. The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department said the move was taken following a direction from the Madras High Court to preserve the peaceful atmosphere of temples.

Devotees will, however, be allowed to carry basic mobile phones without cameras. The stricter rule comes amid the growing practice of taking photographs and shooting reels inside temples and sharing them on social media. HR&CE Minister Ramesh said such activities disturb the peaceful and spiritual atmosphere of temples and cause inconvenience to other devotees.

Special counters have been set up at temple entrances to keep devotees' smartphones safely. A token fee of Rs 5 will be charged for each phone. Devotees will receive a token or receipt when they hand over their phones and can collect them after darshan by producing the token or receipt.

The new system has already been successfully implemented at the famous Devarajaswamy–Varadharaja Perumal Temple in Kanchipuram, according to the HR&CE Department. At the temple, devotees' photographs and mobile phone details are registered on a computer before the phones are deposited. However, concerns have been raised that the counters could become crowded and lead to long queues during peak hours. There are growing demands for more counters to be set up to handle the rush of devotees.