Meanwhile, the iconic 30-year-old Balapur Ganesha laddu prasadam created a record after amassing an all-time-high amount of ₹27 lakh.
Published Sep 28, 2023 | 5:06 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 28, 2023 | 5:17 PM
The iconic Ganesha laddu prasadam in Balapur (left), and the 63-feet clay idol of Ganesha in Khairatabad is said to be the tallest in Hyderabad. (Supplied)
Raking in a whopping ₹1.26 crore in the auction, the Ganesha laddu prasadam in Hyderabad’s Bandlaguda entered history books on Thursday, 28 September, as the most expensive laddu ever auctioned, while the iconic Balapur Ganesh laddu fetched ₹27 lakh.
Bought by the residents of Keerthi Richmond Villas, a gated community in Bandlaguda that itself sells the laddus every year, the selling price of the laddu prasadam is said to be the highest ever recorded in the Telugu states.
In 2022, the Bandlaguda laddu fetched an estimated ₹65 lakh. In doing so, it overtook the Balapur laddu, which was auctioned for ₹24.6 lakh.
In a video shared with the South First, residents of the Richmond Villas, who were elated, said, “We have been staying here for about 10 years. Every year, during Ganesh visarjan (immersion), we auction laddus. We use that money for charity.”
The charities include several welfare initiatives in schools, healthcare, and also education and healthcare of kids of workers, the residents said.
“We also contribute groceries to a number of NGOs. Any NGO can reach out to us and we will try to help them,” a resident said. They hoped that every gated community would follow the same “welfare model”.
The auction of the Balapur Ganesh laddu garners huge attention every year. It was first auctioned in 1994, when it was bought by a farmer named Kolan Mohan Reddy on a bid of ₹450.
“Last year, the laddu was sold at ₹24.6 lakh and this year at ₹27 lakh — an all-time high. We are very happy that the price went up by around three lakh this year,” Pradeep Reddy of the Balapur Ganesha Utsav Committee told South First.
The renowned Balapur Ganesh laddu, which weighs 21 kg, was sold to Dasari Dayanand Reddy, a resident of the Turkayamjal area in the Rangareddy district.
Calling it a mark of pride and happiness, Dasari Dayanand reportedly said that he would present the laddu to his parents.
After the auction, the Balapur Ganesha Utsav Committee started the nearly 20-km Ganesha shobhayatra (procession) towards Hussain Sagar Lake.
In 2022, Vengeti Laxma Reddy of the Jubilee Hills-based VLR Builders secured the Balapur Ganesha laddu prasadam at a price of ₹24.6 lakh
In 2019, the laddu reportedly fetched ₹17.6 lakh while in 2020 there was no auction due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, the Balapur Ganesha laddu was auctioned for ₹18.9 lakh.
As per reports, the altered auction rules now seek the payment of the winning bid to be completed within the same year, discontinuing the previous practice of payment in the following year.
