In a rare and significant finding, a large number of stone murtis were recovered from the Cooum River in Thiruvallur district, triggering widespread curiosity and concern among locals and authorities alike. As many as 46 stone idols, believed to belong to different Hindu deities, were found under circumstances that have raised suspicions of idol theft and possible smuggling activity.
According to reports, a few youths, all residents of Kadambattur, who had gone to the river for a wash on January 18, were shocked to notice stone idols partially submerged in the riverbed. After removing the sand and debris, they counted the idols and found 46 stone murtis of Bhagwan Vinayagar, Murugan, Ayyappan and Nagars (serpent gods).
Upon receiving the information, revenue authorities rushed to the site. By then, locals had gathered and had begun performing poojas. However, the authorities with assistance of Kadambattur police personnel, took custody of all 46 murtis and shifted them to the Thiruvallur Tahsildar office for further examination.
அப்போ இவ்வளவு நாள் கூவம் ஆற்றை சுத்தப்படுத்தாமல் இருந்ததற்கு காரணம் இதுதான்!
எத்தனை கோவில்களில் கடவுள் விக்கிரகங்கள் களவாடப்பட்டிருக்கின்றன என ஆராய வேண்டும். pic.twitter.com/pYzxn9ziHL
— cigarette 🚬 (@cigarettecancer) January 18, 2026
Locals stated that the age of the stone murtis could not be ascertained immediately and would be determined only with the help of experts. Police registered a case after documenting the recovery through photographs and videos, and have begun investigations to ascertain whether the idols were stolen from temples or deliberately buried by idol smugglers.
The idols are of varying sizes, and it is learnt that they could have been stolen from one or more temples. Authorities are also exploring the possibility that a temple may have once existed in or around the riverbed area. Assistance from experts of the ASI is being sought to arrive at a conclusion.
There were no bronze or paanch (five) metal murtis found at the site. Barring a few, most of the stone idols are in good condition, which has been described as a heartening aspect of the discovery.
Kadambattur Union Pinchivakkam local Munisamy (30) was the first to notice the stone idols on January 18 morning. He later shared the information with his friends, following which they began searching the river for more idols. They found stone murtis of Bhagwan Murugan, Ganapathy, Bhairavar, Ayyappan, Naradar, serpent gods and Nagathamman, numbering nearly 50 idols. All the idols were made of stone and were brought to the riverbank before informing the authorities.
VAO Baskaran, who informed RDO Ravichandran, Tahsildar Balaji, and the Kadambattur police team, visited the spot soon after. Locals pointed out that due to the presence of a check dam, there is no possibility that the idols were carried to the spot by water current. It is therefore assumed that someone may have deliberately dumped them in the river.
This is the first time stone murtis have been found in the Cooum River. Earlier, rare murtis made of five metals, temple articles, and coins of paanch metal varieties had been discovered during excavation work for construction in different parts of Tamil Nadu.
