Ancient panchaloha idols that were stolen from a temple last month were found in front of the place of worship on Friday, police said.
It is suspected that the idols, worth several lakhs of rupees, had been abandoned because the robbers were not able to smuggle them out fearing surveillance, the police said.
The idols of Vishnu, Sri Devi and Bhudevi were stolen on June 18 from a temple near Manamadurai in the district.
The priest of the temple said he was in for a pleasant surprise when he noticed the idols in front of the place of worship.
He said he would do special poojas for the idols before they could be ready for worship by the devotees.