Telangana: The popular 21-kg Balapur Ganesh Laddu in Hyderabad was sold at a record price of Rs 24.60 lakh on Friday. V Laxma Reddy, a local, successfully bid for the laddu in the auction. Last year it was auctioned for Rs 18.90 lakh. This is Rs 5.70 lakh more than the previous year
The laddu is auctioned every year before the commencement of the Ganesh Nimajjan Yatra. This bid was the highest in the last 28 years after it was first auctioned in 1994. The Balapur Utsav Samithi anticipated Rs.20 lakh for the laddu in the auction this year. More than 10 people participated in the auction. Balapur Laddu was sold for just Rs. 450 in the initial year, and the tradition of auctioning the laddu continued each year.
There is a strong belief among the folks that Balapur Laddu brings a boon to one who buys it. It is the trust of everyone that the Laddu brings good luck to the bidder who wins the auction. After winning the bid, the winner would distribute it among the villagers and would also shower some of it in the fields for an enhanced yield. The 21-kilogram laddu is offered to lord Ganesh during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations which began on August 31. The Balapur Ganesh laddu is made from pure ghee and dry fruits and kept in a silver bowl at the hands of lord Ganesha. It is prepared and donated by Honeywell Foods every year.
