Thiruchendur Temple to Start Frisking Devotees from July 1

Devotees visiting the Sri Subramanyaswamy Temple in Thiruchendur will be frisked from July 1 to strictly enforce the ban on mobile phones inside the shrine. The temple administration, which implemented the phone ban in 2022, announced that the new measure aims to make compliance more stringent.

In a press release, the temple authorities clarified that all visitors, whether in the free darshan queue or the ₹100 paid queue, must leave their mobile phones behind. Devotees can either keep their phones in their vehicles, at their places of stay, or use lockers provided at various locations within the temple premises.

A former official of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, which oversees the temple, suggested that the rule should also apply to VIP visitors, temple staff, and priests. “This would help curb the paid darshan system that has become rampant in the temple,” he said.

The move is expected to enhance the sanctity of the temple and ensure an uninterrupted spiritual experience for devotees. However, the decision has sparked discussions about its implementation and whether it will be uniformly applied to all visitors, including VIPs.

The Sri Subramanyaswamy Temple, one of Tamil Nadu’s most revered shrines, sees thousands of devotees daily, making effective management of temple policies a challenging task. The frisking initiative is seen as a step towards stricter enforcement of rules and better crowd discipline.