Srirangam Temple Mobile Ban Sept 1

The ban on mobiles inside the Ranganathaswamy Temple comes into effect on Sept 1

This section expects chaotic scenes in the early phase since the moolavar darshan goes on till well past 9pm while the baggage, chappal and mobile phone counters close by 9pm

The most talked about topic this week in Srirangam is the ban on mobile phones inside the Ranganathaswamy temple that will come into effect from September 1. 2000 mobile storage boxes have been installed at the three entrance points – South, East and North Gates. This section had featured a story on the mobile ban that came into effect at the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai in July 2018 (story link below at the end).

On this Friday (August 21) morning, soon after making his way to his office, JC Sivaram Kumar is presented with a sketch of how the counters and the entry path to the temple at the Therku Vaasal will look like but he is not happy with the design and the process.

தேட்டருந்திறல் தேனினைத் தென்னரங்கனை

திருமாதுவாழ் வாட்டமில் வனமாலை மார்வனை

வாழ்த்தி மால்கொள் சிந்தையராய்

ஆட்ட மேவியலந்தழைத்து

அயர் வெய்தும் மெய்யடியார்கள்

தம் ஈட்டம் கண்டிடக் கூடுமேல் 

அது காணும் பயனாவதே

Therku Vaasal - Baggage, Chappal and Mobile Counters

At the South entrance opposite the SBI Srirangam branch, there has been in place for many years a baggage cloak counter for a fee of Rs. 5 and a free chappal counter. These two counters work from 5am to 9pm. The issue that this writer has brought to the attention of the JC over the last two years has been the fact that while the counter closes at 9pm the devotees return from darshan at the Moolavar Sannidhi well after 930pm because the Ariya Bhattar Vaasal remains open till 9pm and devotees can enter this Vaasal till that time for darshan. But while they enter this point at 9pm, it could take them another 30 minutes to go through the free darshan queue to have darshan of the Lord in Sayana Kolam. On Fridays and over the weekend this could go up to even 945pm and sometimes to 10pm on really crowded days.

Chappals  at the counter thrown on to the street after 9pm!!!

Over the last couple of years, the devotees have found that the chappal they had lodged at the counter at the South entrance has been thrown on to the South Uthira Street and almost every night, it is a normal occurrence for devotees, especially the outstation ones, to search for their pair of chappals on this street. That went fine because the chappals were lodged free and the cost of the chappals may not have not been too high!!! But it may not be the same in case of mobile phones. 

What happens now - Mobiles lodged at 8pm but devotees return at 930pm

When devotees lodge their mobile phones at 8pm from September 1 and go inside for darshan of Thayar and Perumal, it is likely that they would not be able to return back to the mobile counter at the South entrance by 9pm. The staffers at these counters work only in two shifts - 5am to 1pm and 1pm -9pm. This writer posed the question to the JC as to what happens to those devotees who are able to have darshan at the Moolavar Sannidhi only after 9pm and return to the South counter at 930pm/945pm. At the moment with just over a week to go, there is no immediate solution on hand and the JC told this writer that he would take it as it comes after seeing the situation on the first few days.

Expect Chaotic scenes at the Therku Vaasal

This writer expects chaotic scenes at the counter starting September 1.  The cloak baggage boxes, the chappal counter and the mobile counter are going to be next to each other. The entry path to the temple from these three counters will be a narrow 6feet one. Another addition to complicate things is the online ticket booking counter (for entry and proof) that will also be housed in this same small complex.

With this work at these counters more than doubling from cloak room baggage and chappals to also include online ticket checking and mobile phones lodging, the issues are likely to complicate starting next week.  JC Sivaram Kumar told this writer that there will be over 10 HRCE staffers posted at these counters from Sept 1. 

But there is likely to be a scenario especially on Fridays and over the weekends when at peak darshan times, there will be well over 200 people depositing and waiting for collection of their mobile phones and chappals and their baggage all in the same complex at the same time. The place does not allow for such huge number of people to congregate at one location to deposit and collect. This will be further compounded by the fact that those depositing their mobile phones at 8pm on any evening could find the counter closed at 9pm while the actual darshan inside the moolavar Sannidhi goes on till 930pm or so. There is also a mangalaarathi darshan at 10pm every night at the moolavar Sannidhi. What happens to the mobile phones of those devotees who stay back for this darshan and return to the mobile phone counter at 10.30pm because the duty of the staff at these counters closes by 9pm!!

Expect a chaotic first few days especially at the south entrance of the Ranganathaswamy temple starting Sept 1.

Local devotees and their darshan

Murali will be touching 80 soon and he has been a daily devotee at the Ranganathswamy temple in Srirangam for the last 15 years residing here after his retirement. He cycles his way thrice each day - once to have darshan of Ramanujar and Chakkarathazhvaar, another time to the Thayar Sannidhi and finally just after 8pm for the third time in the day to have darshan of Ranganathaswamy. 

The mobile phones counter will start charging Rs. 5 for lodging of the phones. When a devotee like him comes thrice a day, it is likely that he will have to shell out Rs. 15 each day. JC Sivaram Kumar told this writer that for the local devotees he would try to have a one ticket a day that they could use for multiple visits in the day so they would not have to pay each time they lodge the mobile phone on the same day.

மெய்யில் வாழ்க்கையை மெய்யெனக்கொல்லும்

இவ்வையந் தன்னொடும் கூடு வதில்லையான்

ஐய்யனே அரங்கா என்று அழைக்கின்றேன்

மையல் கொண்டொழிந்தேன் எந்தன் மாலுக்கே

Devotees have already begun asking the question if the archakas, pandaris and other daily kainkaryaparas will be allowed to bring their phones inside the Sannidhi. One would have to wait and watch as to how that scenario unfolds.

Seen whichever way, the first fortnight of September will be interesting times for the Srirangam temple with the Satru Murai event of Pavitrotsavam set to take place late on Sept 1 evening, the day the mobile ban comes into effect. Will the devotees now not be able to take photos and videos of such utsavams and only a select Kainkaryapara group will have exclusive rights over this. Also, the Krishna Jayanthi and Uriyadi Utsavam processions will take place in the first week of September. How will the mobile phone lodging and collection be implemented when street processions and the utsavar’s return to the Sannidhi happens after 9pm by which time the mobile counters close!!!

At a fee of Rs.5, the mobile deposit could bring in around Rs.5lakhs a month of additional revenue. But during peak utsavam months, this could shoot up many times with devotee crowd of over 50000 a day.

It is really hot in Srirangam, end of August with outside temperature hovering around 40degrees. Come first week of September, it could get even hotter at the mobile counters. This section will track as to how the events unfold in Sept.

July 2018: Mobile ban at Meenakshi Amman temple- https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/07/meenakshi-amman-temple-cell-phone-ban.html