Hyderabad: The next in line after the Bada Ganesh idol of Khairatabad is the Balapur Ganesha, famous for pulling the crowd throughout the 10-day-long festivities for its eye-catching arrangements. A special attraction of this pandal is the laddu auction, which draws the public from far and near.
This year, the Balapur Ganesha Laddu fetched a record price in the auction on Tuesday after local devotee and BJP leader Kolana Shankar Reddy grabbed the sweet for Rs.30.1 lakh. In 2023, the laddu was auctioned for Rs 27 lakh and bought by Dasari Dayanand Reddy.
The auction traces back to 1994, with the laddu then being sold for Rs 450. Gradually, with time, the amount hiked significantly, reaching Rs 30 lakh this year. This annual auction takes place on the final day of the Ganesh idol immersion.
When it was organised for the first time in 1994, Kolan Mohan Reddy, a local farmer, had purchased it for a meagre Rs 450. Since then, the Kolan family has set a trend by often participating in the auction and emerging victorious. The funds raised from this event are used to enhance and develop socio-economic projects in local areas.
To increase the auction's competitiveness, the Balapur Ganesh Utsav Samithi (BGUC) implemented additional regulations last year. Locals have to now deposit the amount of the winning bid from the previous year to participate in the bidding session.
Since the inception of the auction 30 years ago, the craze and enthusiasm are still intact. In fact, this year's successful bidder list shows a consistent rise in interest in the auction, highlighting the event's growing popularity.
Meanwhile, Bandlaguda Ganesh laddu was auctioned for Rs 1.87 crore on Monday night, marking a hike of Rs 61 lakh from 2023’s price. Last year, the laddu was auctioned for Rs 1.26 crore.
Ganesh Visarjan in Hyderabad: Ganesh Visarjan or the immersion of idols commenced in the city on Tuesday amid tight security by police and arrangements by civic authorities.
More than 25,000 police personnel have been deployed for the smooth and peaceful conduct of the 10-day-long festival. Thousands of idols will be immersed in Hussain Sagar Lake in the heart of the city, lakes and ponds.
List of Balapur Laddu Auction Winners:
1994 - Kolana Mohan Reddy Rs.450, 1995 - Kolana Mohan Reddy Rs.4,500, 1996 - Kolana Krishna Reddy Rs.18,000, 1997 - Kolana Krishna Reddy Rs.28,000, 1998 - Kolana Mohan Reddy Rs.51,000, 1999 - Kallem Anji Reddy Rs.65,000, 2000 - Kallem Pratap Reddy Rs.66,000, 2001 - G Raghunandan Chari Rs.85,000, 2002 - Kandada Madhava Reddy, Rs.1,05,000, 2003 - Chigirintha Bala Reddy Rs.1,55,000, 2004 - Kolana Mohan Reddy Rs.2,01,000, 2005 - Ibram Shekhar Rs.2,08,000, 2006 - Chigirintha Tirupati Reddy Rs.3,00,000, 2007 - G Raghunandan Chari Rs.4,15,000, 2008 - Kolana Mohan Reddy Rs.5,07,000, 2009 - Sarita Rs.5,10,000, 2010 - Kodali Sridhar Babu Rs.5,35,000, 2011 - Kolana Brothers Rs.5,45,000, 2012 - Pannala Govardhan Reddy Rs.7,50,000, 2013 - Thigala Krishna Reddy Rs.9,26,000, 2014 - Singireddy Jaihind Reddy Rs.9,50,000, 2015 - Kallem Madan Mohan Reddy Rs.10,32,000, 2016 - Kandadi Skylab Reddy Rs.14,65,000, 2017 - Nagam Tirupati Reddy Rs.15,60,000, 2018 - Teretipalli Srinivas Gupta Rs.16,60,000, 2019 - Kolana Ram Reddy Rs.17,60,000, 2020 Auction not held due to Corona. It was handed over to the then Chief Minister KCR, 2021 - Ramesh Yadav, Marri Shashank Reddy Rs.18,90,000, 2022 - Vangeti Lakshma Reddy Rs.24,60,000, 2023 - Dasari Dayananda Reddy Rs.27,00,000 and 2024 - Kolana Shankar Reddy.
Read More:
