Nine panchaloha idols have been recovered from a temple premises, while digging to install a Hanuman idol near Athur in Salem district of Tamil Nadu.

According to police, the workers, digging to install the idol of Hanuman in Perumal temple in Navalkurichi, found a secret cell beneath and a pathway leading to it.

As they went further deep, the workers found nine panchaloha idols of different deities, reportedly dating back to 15th or 16th Century.

The idols, standing one foot to three-foot tall, have been handed over to the Archaeological Department, police said.