SABARIMALA, INDIA, November 20, 2002: The exclusive mobile phone service introduced by BSNL in Sabarimala is a controversial issue in devout Ayyappan circles. Sabarimala Melsanthi Sankaranarayanan Nampoothiri has asked that “the use of the mobile phone on the premises of the temple should be banned. Cell phones will be a disturbance to the pilgrims who offer prayers and have darshan (literally, “sight”) at the sopanam,” he said. Sabarimala Thanthri Kandararu Mohanaru adds, “Strict control should be imposed on carrying and using of mobile phones near sopanam, outside the sreekovil, the sacred 18 steps and the area around Sanctum Sanctorum. The pilgrims who visit the temple for darshan should have to follow certain customary practices.”
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