Panchaloha idol (murti) as the name indicates consists of five metals. Pancha means five and loha means metal. Panchaloha idols are found in many Hindu temples in India South India . Panchaloha consists of Gold, Silver, Brass, Copper and Iron.
The percentage of metals used is 4 portions of silver, 1 portion of gold, 8 portions of brass, 8 portions of copper and a small quantity of iron. This percentage is only to give a general idea and might vary from region to region.
Today, the main constituent in Panchaloha idol is copper, brass and lead.
Large quantity of copper is mainly used in idols that are sold in large-scale like the Nataraja statue.
But the idols made for temples strictly follow the tradition and contain gold and silver.
Note - Idol is a wrong word to use. The word that should be used is murti.
Note - Idol is a wrong word to use. The word that should be used is murti.
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