Half a kilogram of ancient gold has been unearthed during renovation of a temple near Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu.
The gold items believed to be centuries old was discovered by the villagers during renovation of a Lord Shiva temple in Uthiramerur.
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The ancient gold items were unearthed from beneath the steps leading to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
Notably, the locals in the area protested and refused to hand over the gold items to the authorities as they planned to place the gold again at the very location where it was discovered after the renovation work got completed.
“Putting gold under temple steps is considered auspicious. This practice dates back to times immemorial,” a local said.
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As negotiations between the locals and the authorities failed to yield any result, the officials deployed a large number of security personnel in the village and seized the discovered gold.
“It looks like gold and has been deposited with the treasury department,” said an official of the revenue department.
The temple where the ancient gold items were discovered is believed to be from the Chola dynasty era.
The Shiva temple in Uthiramerur is more than 1,250 years old, according to studies of its inscriptions.