Devotees to get digital locker facility at Mahakal temple soon

Ujjain: Pilgrims visiting the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain will soon get an opportunity to secure their belongings in a paid digital locker facility.The temple management committee has initiated a tender process to select a private agency for the project, which will allow devotees to safely store their mobile phones, footwear and other belongings without standing in long queues.“Details of the project will be finalised once a vendor is onboarded. Our focus is on making the facility available to devotees in the shortest possible time,” the temple administrator Pratham Kaushik said.The system will be entirely technology-driven. Devotees will have to scan a QR code, select their preferred language, enter their mobile number and complete a digital payment to receive a unique QR code or OTP for storing and retrieving their belongings, official sources said.The platform will include a mobile application, online payment integration and real-time monitoring, allowing administrators to track locker availability and revenue with a single click, Kaushik said. Fees will be determined by the temple administrator with the committee retaining full authority to regulate maximum charges. The selected agency will operate round the clock and comply with strict standards on cybersecurity, data privacy and disaster management.

Currently, mobiles phones and several other items are banned inside the temple for security reasons, forcing pilgrims to navigate multiple locations to deposit their belongings.If implemented on schedule, Mahakaleshwar temple would be among a select few religious sites in the country, to offer a technology-driven locker service.Now, booking for ‘bhasma aarti’ once in 90 days The Mahakaleshwar temple committee has tightened rules for the famed ‘bhasma aarti’, restricting devotees to obtain permission only once every three months from a single mobile number, with a mandatory 90-day wait before the same number could be used again. A similar rule was introduced in 2024 by the then collector Neeraj Singh following complaints of irregularities booking. But it was discontinued later.The measure aims to curb monopoly of VIP and repeat visitors and bring greater transparency to the ‘bhasma aarti’ booking process.The temple administrator said that the rule is being implemented more effectively so that ordinary people can get a fair chance of darshan.