1. Introduction
Welcome to Thiruthalam™ — A Divine Temples Journey ("Thiruthalam™", "App", "Platform", "we", "us", or "our").
Thiruthalam™ is a digital temple discovery, pilgrimage, community documentation, and heritage preservation platform developed and operated by Virthalam Foundation, a Section 8 non-profit company registered in India.
These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Thiruthalam™ mobile application, website, and related services.
By downloading, accessing, registering for, or using Thiruthalam™, you agree to be bound by these Terms.
If you do not agree with these Terms, please do not use the App.
2. About Thiruthalam™
Thiruthalam™ aims to help users:
- Discover temples and sacred places
- Explore temple history and traditions
- Find temple events and festivals
- Plan pilgrimage and temple journeys
- Discover temples based on traditional classifications
- Use AI-powered temple discovery tools
- Contribute temple information and photographs
- Participate in temple heritage documentation
- Support digital preservation of India's temple heritage
Thiruthalam™ is intended to serve devotees, pilgrims, travelers, researchers, photographers, volunteers, and communities.
3. Eligibility
You may use Thiruthalam™ if you are legally permitted to use such services under the laws applicable to you.
If you are under the applicable age of majority, you should use the App with the knowledge and involvement of a parent or legal guardian where required by applicable law.
By using the App, you represent that the information you provide is accurate to the best of your knowledge.
4. Account Registration
Certain features may require you to create an account.
When registering, you agree to:
- Provide accurate information
- Keep your account information updated
- Maintain the confidentiality of your account credentials
- Not share your account with unauthorized persons
- Notify us if you believe your account has been compromised
- Take responsibility for activities performed through your account
You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account.
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.
5. Temple Information
Thiruthalam™ may provide information about temples, including:
- Temple names
- Deities
- History
- Architecture
- Timings
- Festivals
- Events
- Traditions
- Locations
- Photos
- Nearby places
- Religious and cultural information
Information may come from public sources, temple representatives, researchers, volunteers, community members, or other contributors.
We make reasonable efforts to improve the accuracy of information, but we do not guarantee that all information will always be:
- Complete
- Accurate
- Current
- Error-free
- Available
- Officially verified
Temple timings, festivals, events, and other information may change without notice.
Users should verify important information directly with the relevant temple or authorized authority before travelling.
6. Community Contributions
Thiruthalam™ may allow users to contribute temple-related content.
Contributions may include:
- Text
- Temple information
- Photographs
- Videos
- Festival information
- Historical information
- Temple traditions
- Corrections
- Location information
- Other heritage-related materials
By submitting content, you confirm that:
- You have the necessary rights or permission to submit the content.
- The content does not knowingly violate any law.
- The content does not infringe another person's intellectual property rights.
- The content does not contain unnecessary personal or confidential information.
- The content is not intentionally false or misleading.
- The content is respectful of religious, cultural, and community sensitivities.
7. License to User Contributions
When you submit content to Thiruthalam™, you grant Virthalam Foundation a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, display, distribute, adapt, translate, format, and use that content for operating, improving, promoting, documenting, and preserving the Thiruthalam™ platform and its heritage initiatives.
This license does not transfer ownership of your original content to Virthalam Foundation.
You retain ownership of content for which you have valid ownership rights, subject to the license granted above.
Because Thiruthalam™ is a heritage documentation platform, content that becomes part of a public temple or heritage record may continue to be used for legitimate documentation and preservation purposes even if your account is later deleted.
8. Copyright and Intellectual Property
All intellectual property associated with Thiruthalam™, including where applicable:
- App design
- Branding
- Logos
- Names
- Graphics
- Software
- Source code
- User interface
- Original content
- Documentation
- Platform features
- AI interfaces
belongs to or is lawfully licensed to Virthalam Foundation or its respective rights holders.
You may not copy, modify, reproduce, distribute, reverse engineer, sell, license, or commercially exploit the App or its proprietary content without prior written permission, except where permitted by applicable law.
9. Third-Party Content
Thiruthalam™ may contain information, links, maps, photographs, references, or other materials originating from third parties.
We do not necessarily endorse or guarantee the accuracy, availability, reliability, or completeness of third-party content.
Third-party services may have their own terms and privacy policies.
You are responsible for reviewing the applicable third-party terms before using those services.
10. AI-Powered Features
Thiruthalam™ may provide AI-powered features such as:
- AI Temple Assistant
- Temple recommendations
- Search assistance
- Temple journey suggestions
- Personalized discovery
- Other AI-enabled services
AI-generated information is provided for informational, devotional, cultural, and general guidance purposes.
AI responses may contain errors, omissions, outdated information, or interpretations that may not reflect the official position of a temple, religious institution, scholar, or authority.
You should independently verify important information.
You should not rely on AI-generated content as:
- Medical advice
- Legal advice
- Financial advice
- Professional advice
- Guaranteed religious or spiritual guidance
Virthalam Foundation does not guarantee any particular result from using AI-generated recommendations.
11. Rasi, Nakshatra and Traditional Classifications
Thiruthalam™ may provide temple discovery features based on:
- Rasi
- Nakshatra
- Deity
- Spiritual purpose
- Traditional temple classifications
- Other cultural or devotional associations
These features are intended for informational, devotional, and cultural exploration.
They do not constitute scientific, medical, psychological, financial, or professional advice.
Virthalam Foundation does not guarantee any specific outcome from visiting a temple based on such classifications.
12. Location-Based Services
Thiruthalam™ may use device location, where permission is granted, to provide:
- Nearby temple discovery
- Maps
- Directions
- Distance information
- Temple recommendations
- Journey planning
Location information may be subject to the accuracy and availability of your device, GPS, network, maps, and third-party services.
We are not responsible for inaccuracies caused by third-party mapping or location services.
13. Temple Visits and Travel
Thiruthalam™ may help users discover and plan temple visits.
However, the App does not guarantee:
- Temple opening
- Darshan availability
- Entry availability
- Special access
- Festival schedules
- Parking availability
- Accommodation
- Transportation
- Crowd levels
- Road conditions
- Weather conditions
Users are responsible for confirming relevant details before travelling.
14. User Conduct
You agree to use Thiruthalam™ responsibly and lawfully.
You must not:
- Use the App for unlawful purposes
- Submit intentionally false information
- Upload malicious software
- Attempt unauthorized access
- Interfere with the App or its infrastructure
- Scrape or systematically extract data without permission
- Impersonate another person or organization
- Harass or threaten other users
- Upload defamatory or abusive content
- Upload sexually explicit or inappropriate content
- Upload content promoting violence or illegal activities
- Violate another person's privacy
- Infringe intellectual property rights
- Manipulate ratings, reviews, contributions, or events
- Use the platform to distribute spam
- Attempt to disrupt the services of other users
15. Content Moderation
Virthalam Foundation reserves the right to review, moderate, edit, restrict, or remove user-submitted content where reasonably necessary.
Content may be removed if it:
- Violates these Terms
- Violates applicable law
- Is misleading or fraudulent
- Infringes intellectual property
- Contains inappropriate material
- Contains personal or confidential information
- Creates a security or safety risk
- Is unrelated to the purpose of the platform
We may also restrict or suspend users who repeatedly violate these Terms.
16. Reviews, Ratings and Comments
Where reviews, ratings, comments, or community feedback are available, users must provide genuine and respectful contributions.
You must not:
- Post fake reviews
- Manipulate ratings
- Review a service or place deceptively
- Post defamatory statements
- Post personal information about others
- Use reviews to threaten or harass individuals
We may remove reviews or comments that violate these Terms.
17. Volunteer and Community Activities
Thiruthalam™ may provide opportunities to participate as:
- Temple information contributors
- Temple photographers
- Research volunteers
- Festival documentation volunteers
- Content writers
- Translators
- Social media volunteers
- Technology volunteers
- District coordinators
- Other community volunteers
Participation is voluntary unless a separate written agreement states otherwise.
Volunteer activities do not automatically create an employment, agency, partnership, or contractor relationship with Virthalam Foundation.
18. Donations and Payments
If Thiruthalam™ or Virthalam Foundation provides donation, subscription, or other payment features, additional terms may apply.
Payments may be processed through third-party payment providers.
Users must provide accurate payment information and comply with applicable payment provider terms.
Unless otherwise stated, donations made to the Foundation are subject to the Foundation's applicable donation policies and laws.
19. Free Service and Future Features
Thiruthalam™ may provide certain features free of charge.
We reserve the right to:
- Introduce new features
- Modify existing features
- Add optional paid services
- Change pricing
- Remove features
- Limit access to certain features
Where legally required, appropriate notice will be provided for material changes.
20. Availability of the Service
We aim to keep Thiruthalam™ available and reliable, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted availability.
The App may temporarily become unavailable due to:
- Maintenance
- Updates
- Technical failures
- Network problems
- Server issues
- Cybersecurity incidents
- Third-party service interruptions
- Force majeure events
We may modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the service when reasonably necessary.
21. Privacy
Your use of Thiruthalam™ is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use, store, and protect information.
By using Thiruthalam™, you acknowledge that you have reviewed the Privacy Policy.
22. Security
You must not attempt to compromise the security of Thiruthalam™.
This includes attempting to:
- Gain unauthorized access
- Access another user's account
- Introduce malware
- Attack servers
- Circumvent security controls
- Reverse engineer security mechanisms
- Interfere with databases or APIs
Suspected security vulnerabilities should be responsibly reported to Virthalam Foundation.
23. Disclaimer
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Thiruthalam™ is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis.
We do not guarantee that:
- The App will always operate without interruption.
- All temple information will always be accurate.
- All events or timings will be current.
- AI responses will always be accurate.
- Recommendations will meet your expectations.
- Third-party services will always be available.
- Information will be free from errors.
Users are responsible for independently verifying information that is important to their decisions.
24. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Virthalam Foundation and its directors, officers, employees, volunteers, representatives, partners, and service providers will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or unforeseeable losses arising from your use of or inability to use Thiruthalam™.
This may include losses arising from:
- Incorrect information
- Changes in temple timings
- Cancelled events
- Travel arrangements
- Third-party services
- AI-generated information
- User-generated content
- Technical interruptions
- Device or network problems
Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot legally be excluded under applicable law.
25. Indemnification
To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Virthalam Foundation and its representatives from claims, losses, liabilities, damages, and expenses arising from:
- Your violation of these Terms
- Your unlawful use of the App
- Your user contributions
- Your infringement of another person's rights
- Your misuse of the services
- Your violation of applicable law
26. Account Suspension or Termination
We may suspend or terminate your access to Thiruthalam™ if:
- You violate these Terms
- You engage in fraudulent activity
- You misuse the platform
- You create security risks
- You submit prohibited content
- Your activity violates applicable law
You may stop using the App at any time.
Termination does not automatically remove obligations or rights that arose before termination.
27. Third-Party Services and Links
Thiruthalam™ may integrate with or link to external services.
Examples may include:
- Map providers
- Authentication services
- AI services
- Cloud infrastructure
- Payment providers
- Social platforms
- External temple websites
Virthalam Foundation does not control all third-party services and is not responsible for their independent policies, content, security, or availability.
28. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time.
Changes may be made due to:
- New App features
- Changes in our services
- Legal requirements
- Security improvements
- Operational changes
The updated Terms will be published with a revised Effective Date or Last Updated date.
Your continued use of Thiruthalam™ after the updated Terms become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms, to the extent permitted by applicable law.
29. Governing Law
These Terms shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of India.
Subject to applicable law, disputes relating to these Terms or your use of Thiruthalam™ shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the competent courts in Puducherry, India.
30. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is determined to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to remain in effect to the extent permitted by law.
31. Entire Agreement
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any additional terms applicable to specific features, constitute the agreement between you and Virthalam Foundation concerning your use of Thiruthalam™, except where a separate written agreement applies.
32. Contact Us
For questions, feedback, complaints, or concerns regarding these Terms, please contact:
Virthalam Foundation
Section 8 Non-Profit Company
App: Thiruthalam™ — A Divine Temples Journey
Website: https://thiruthalam.in/
Email: info@virthalam.org
Registered Office:
No. 263 Buvancare Street, O.K. Palayam,
Mudaliarpet, Pondicherry – 605004, India
Phone: +91 9488070302
33. Grievance Contact
For complaints or concerns relating to Thiruthalam™:
Name: Vadivelan S
Designation: Director
Email: info@virthalam.org
Phone: +91 9488070302
We will review complaints and requests and respond in accordance with applicable laws and our internal procedures.
34. Acceptance of Terms
By downloading, installing, accessing, registering for, or using Thiruthalam™, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms & Conditions.
If you do not agree with these Terms, you should discontinue use of Thiruthalam™.
?? Thiruthalam™ — A Divine Temples Journey
Discover. Document. Preserve.
Developed by
Virthalam Foundation
Section 8 Non-Profit Company
Built with technology. Driven by seva. Dedicated to preserving India's temple heritage.