Balapur Laddu auction enters silver jubilee year

Balapur: The famous ‘laddu’ of Balapur Ganesh, which goes for auction each year in a fascinating event each year, celebrated its silver jubilee on Tuesday. 

In the event marking 25 years of tradition, the Balapur Ganesh Utsava Samithi is all ecstatic about the over two decades of exclusive ‘auction’ of laddu conducted each year in the suburbs of the city. 
   
Starting from auctioning of laddu for Rs 450 in 1994 when K Mohan Reddy, a farmer bagged the laddu in the first auction, the 21-kg laddu started attracting more and more bidders and during the last year’s auction, Laddu was picked up in open auction to get it with the highest bid of Rs 15.6 lakh by N Tirupathi Reddy, a real estate businessman.

The bidding process starts with registration of prospects, which takes place on 9th and 10th day and about 300 bidders register their names with the objective of winning much-sought-after laddu. On the 11th day, Sunday, September 23, the auction starts with Rs 1,116 bid and ends up in lakhs of rupees. 

This year’s 21-kg laddu is sponsored by Honey Foods located at ECIL, which is prepared by all mixed dry fruits. The 21-kg laddu is kept in a 2-kg bowl made up of pure silver”, said K Niranjan Reddy, president, Balapur Ganesh Utsava Simithi.

Traditionally, the Balapur Laddu is considered very auspicious and believed to bring fortune to whoever wins it. Devotees have a strong belief that the laddu would bring luck and prosperity for them. 

Generally, the winners take the laddu and distribute it among their friends and relatives and also spray in the agricultural fields for a better crop harvest, Niranjan explained.

He also said that since last 24 years about Rs 40 lakh received through bidding was utilized for developmental activities in Balapur village and social activities like construction of Hunuman Mandir, Ganesh Mandir, Mahankali Mandir and part of it was also donated in Mahbubnagar floods and recently a shade was constructed in a school.

Balapur Ganesh and Balapur Ganesh Laddu are so special because of the legacy of Laddu auction. In this part of city, the laddu has brought prospects to bidder and the tradition continued unabated. 

“This Laddu Auction is on for 25 years and it continues to create new record each year. This year a special Ganesh idol with eye-blinking feature and with a height of 18 feet was made by Laxmi Narayan Singh, an artist from Dhoolpet. 

The mandap is also specially made representing Aastha Gajamuka Varasiddhi Vinayaka, having eight elephants figures,” added the organizers.