Chennai Temples Face Long Queues at Mobile Phone Deposit Centres

Devotees visiting major Chennai temples, including Vadapalani Andavar Temple, Parthasarathy Swamy Temple and Kapaleeswarar Temple, are facing difficulties at mobile phone deposit centres, particularly during weekends and special occasions.

As mobile phones are not allowed inside these temples, devotees have to deposit their phones at designated centres before darshan. During peak hours, long queues form to both deposit and collect mobile phones, adding to the time required for the temple visit.

The lack of GPay and PhonePe facilities is another concern. Devotees said they often struggle to pay the ₹5 deposit charge when the centres do not have sufficient change. Officials said a QR code-based digital payment facility will be introduced soon.

At Vadapalani Andavar Temple, around 350 mobile phone lockers are available, with two counters for depositing phones and two for collecting them. Two additional counters are being planned.

Kapaleeswarar Temple has around 300 mobile phone lockers, with three counters for depositing phones and two for collection. Parthasarathy Swamy Temple has 280 lockers, with four counters each for depositing and collecting mobile phones.

The mobile phone deposit centres began functioning on September 1. The introduction of digital payments and additional counters is expected to make the process faster and more convenient for devotees.