The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Panchaloha idols unearthed

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Monday, Jun 27, 2011
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Panchaloha idols unearthed

Special Correspondent

— Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Idols and pooja materials that were unearthed at Gunakarambakkam near Kancheepuram on Sunday.

TAMBARAM: Nearly a dozen panchaloha idols and pooja articles were unearthed during renovation work at an ancient temple in Gunakarambakkam village in Sriperumbudur in Kancheepuram district on Sunday morning.

Local youth organisations and members of the village's Tiruvannamalai Girivalam Committee had deployed earth-moving equipment and engaged manual labour to spruce up the ‘Gunakareswarar' Temple on Pandian Street in the village.

Official sources said the idols were recovered after a worker's crowbar came into contact with a stone-like object. He informed senior residents of the village who came to the spot and instructed the workers to dig carefully.

Just one foot below the surface, they unearthed idols of Sivan, Parvathi and Murugan, which were in a single row. As news spread, residents from the entire village reached the temple, which is said to be several hundred years old.

In a couple of hours, the digging revealed idols of Somaskandar, Amman and other deities. Further, pooja articles such as ‘deepa golusu,' a ‘tirumukkili' used to adorn the presiding deities and ‘utsavar' idols, a ‘deeparaathanai paatham' and a ‘valampuri' conch were also recovered.

While the idols were made from panchaloha (‘aimpon silaigal'), the pooja articles were made of either brass or bronze, according to temple authorities.

The information was passed on to revenue officials of Sriperumbudur Taluk of Kancheepuram District.

Meanwhile, residents and devotees cleaned the idols and also performed poojas.

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