Close to forty bronze icons and artefacts were found on the banks of a channel here at Kiliyur village in Tharangambadi. The first set of 22 bronze icons, primarily miniature figurines of Amman in seated and standing postures, were found near Manjavaaikal by a farmer on Sunday evening. Following up on the discovery, excavations in the area revealed 17 more icons that included a five-headed snake, two Nandis, Ayyanar and Vinayagar, a few more Amman icons, one of them seated on an elephant, and some broken puja artefacts on Monday.
According to T. Thangadurai, Curator, Tharangambadi museum, the icons were of recent make, presumably 100-150 years old. The site of discovery is less than a kilometre from Sozhithurai, which hosts the 150-year old Sozhieeswarar temple, with Siva as its presiding deity. The temple is administered by the HR and CE department.
The icons are currently in the custody of the Tharangambadi Taluk office. Based on their antique value, the icons would be sent to the district museum or to Chennai, Mr. Thangadurai told The Hindu .
