TIRUVALLUR: More than 50 stone idols were found in the water at the Cooum River in Pinjivakkam near Tiruvallur, drawing large crowds from nearby villages.

The Cooum River flows through Pinjivakkam village in Kadambathur Panchayat Union. Due to heavy rain over the past few months, the river has been overflowing; however, water levels have recently begun to recede.

On Monday, a resident of Pinjivakkam went to bathe in the river and noticed over 10 stone idols scattered in the water. On looking further, he found more than 50 idols and immediately alerted the villagers.

The news spread quickly, and over 100 people from Pinjivakkam, Kadambathur, Agaram, Tiruvallur, Perambakkam, Cooum, Kumaracheri and Mapedu gathered at the riverbank to view the idols.

Revenue officials were alerted, and following instructions from Tiruvallur District Collector M Pradeep, Tiruvallur RDO Ravichandran, Tiruvallur Tahsildar Balaji, Kadambathur Revenue Inspector Rajalakshmi and Village Administrative Officer Bhaskaran rushed to the spot.

Officials found idols ranging from one to three feet in height, including 22 snake idols, an Ayyappan idol, a Pillaiyar idol, seven Amman idols, a Kamadhenu idol, a Murugar idol, a Garudan idol, and eight idols that were damaged or unidentifiable. They also found stone idols with human faces and peacock-like bodies, taking the total to over 50.

The revenue department officials seized the idols and transported them to the District Archives in Tiruvallur for further investigation. Officials are probing who placed or discarded the idols in the Cooum River.

The discovery of more than 50 stone idols in the same stretch of the river has created considerable curiosity and excitement among the residents in the area and neighbouring places.