Mandirs go mobile as temple influencers reel in followers
- Himanshi Dhawan
- TNNUpdated: Jan 31, 2026, 18:35 IST IST
It began, as most online rabbit holes do, with a WhatsApp forward. The message claimed that sculptures of women using an iPad and a mobile phone had been “discovered” in an ancient Gujarat temple.
While most would have shrugged and scrolled on, Maharashtra-based businessman Dinesh Soni didn’t. He tracked down the image and found that the supposed iPad being read was actually a depiction of a ‘patralekha’ — literally, a letter writer — while the other figure was likely applying kajal.
While most would have shrugged and scrolled on, Maharashtra-based businessman Dinesh Soni didn’t. He tracked down the image and found that the supposed iPad being read was actually a depiction of a ‘patralekha’ — literally, a letter writer — while the other figure was likely applying kajal.
