The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department has said mobile phones will be prohibited inside Sri Subramanianswamy Temple at Thirupparankundram from September 1, 2026.In a press release issued here on Friday, Deputy Commissioner G. Selvi said the Tamil Nadu government had taken the decision following a court directive.The department had made arrangements for the devotees to deposit their mobile phones near the footwear counter in the main entrance of the shrine. The counter would be manned by an employee, who would collect a fee of ₹5 per mobile phone and issue a receipt.Officials would be monitoring the movement of devotees through cameras and use of mobile phones inside the shrine would be viewed seriously from September 1 and violators would face legal action.For over a decade now, the HR&CE Department had banned carrying mobile phones by the devotees inside the world famous Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple for security reasons.The ban on mobile phones would be implemented in many more shrines for different reasons, the officials said. Published - August 21, 2026 07:34 pm IST