CUDDALORE, TAMIL NADU, INDIA, July 22, 2005: Police and revenue officials recovered three priceless ”panchaloha” (five metal) icons at Thangavel colony near Kaattumannar Koil in this district today. Police said the icons, each weighing about 100 kg, were recovered when a house-owner dug a pit. The recovered icons included a three-foot tall Amman, a 12-foot Nataraja and a three-foot Siva-Parvathi-Ganesh, police said. Police said a team, led by the Kaattumannar Koil Tahsildar, recovered the icons, on being informed by the villagers. Workers stumbled upon the Amman icon at a depth of three feet and on being informed, revenue and police officials found the other two icons, police said. Villagers said the icons could have belonged to the 200-year-old Anantheeswarar temple and could have been buried to hide them from the Mughals. They said the Nataraja icon could be bigger than the famous one at Chidambaram. All three icons were being kept at the Tahsildar office at Kaattumannar Koil and local people were making a beeline to have darshan. Police had a tough time controlling the crowds.
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