Tamil Nadu Bans Smartphones In Fifty Two Temples Instituting Five Rupee Locker Charge

Tamil Nadu's government, led by Chief Minister Vijay, has banned the carrying and use of smartphones inside 52 major temples across the state, with the new restrictions coming into effect on Tuesday. The move follows growing concerns from temple authorities over devotees taking photographs, recording videos, and shooting selfies and social media reels inside temple premises, which officials say has disrupted the sanctity and peaceful atmosphere of worship. The decision marks one of the most sweeping coordinated efforts yet by the state to regulate personal device use within religious institutions, affecting some of Tamil Nadu's most heavily visited shrines.

The restriction was announced by Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister Ramesh and aligns with earlier directions issued by the Madras High Court, which had previously called on the state to implement mobile phone bans at temples to preserve their purity and sanctity. That judicial push dates back several years, when the court directed the HR&CE Department to ensure such restrictions were implemented "in letter and spirit" across the state's temples, citing the need to maintain order and decorum during worship. Tuesday's rollout effectively formalizes and standardizes what had, until now, been a patchwork of temple-specific policies.

Under the new system, devotees carrying smartphones must deposit them at dedicated counters set up at temple entrances, where they will receive an acknowledgment slip or plastic token to be presented when retrieving their device afterward. Temple authorities have also been directed to install clear signage at entrances stating that mobile phone use is prohibited inside the premises. A notable feature of the new rule is a uniform ₹5 fee charged per phone deposited, with receipts issued through the state's Integrated Temple Management System, a digital platform intended to bring consistency and accountability to the process across all 52 participating sites.

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The policy includes one key exception: phones without cameras are expected to be permitted inside temples, since the core objective is to curb photography and videography rather than restrict communication devices altogether. This distinction is meant to accommodate devotees who may need a basic phone for emergencies or coordination while still addressing the central concern driving the ban. At the Devarajaswamy-Athi Varadar Temple in Kanchipuram, one of the first sites to implement the rule, the system was rolled out from 6 am on Tuesday, with computer operators and assistants specifically deployed to manage the phone deposit process and ensure devotees were not inconvenienced during their visit.

An HR&CE circular explaining the rationale for the policy noted that some devotees had continued using mobile phones inside temple premises despite informal restrictions, taking photographs, recording videos, and filming reels for social media, which authorities said affected the peaceful atmosphere and caused inconvenience to other worshippers. The department has also directed temples to prevent photography or video recording of VIPs, public figures and film personalities visiting temple premises, extending the restriction beyond ordinary devotees to cover high-profile visitors as well.

The policy has drawn a mixed response from the public. While some devotees have welcomed the measure as a way of preserving the spiritual character of temple visits and reducing distractions during darshan, others have raised concerns about the security of personal devices once surrendered, given that smartphones today often contain sensitive information such as banking details, identification documents, travel plans and personal communications. Temple officials have acknowledged these concerns and said they are working to reassure devotees about the safety of the deposit process, expressing hope that resistance will ease as people become accustomed to the new procedure over time.

The September 1 rule is not the first instance of such restrictions in Tamil Nadu, as several prominent temples — including the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai and the Palani Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple — had already enforced similar phone bans independently in recent years. What sets Tuesday's directive apart is its scale, bringing a uniform, state-mandated policy to 52 major temples simultaneously and signaling a broader shift in how Tamil Nadu intends to balance religious tradition with the pervasive presence of smartphone culture in public life.

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