Hyderabad: This year in the auction the laddu fetched a record price of Rs.18.90 lakhs. Marri Shashank Reddy along with Andhra Pradesh MLC Ramesh Yadav won the Balapur Laddu for 2021. Around 19 people participated in the auction, with the initial bid starting from Rs1,116 it went on to Rs18.90 lakhs.
Devotees believe that Lord Ganesh is the remover of obstacles. They believe that he will solve all their problems. Hyderabad's Balapur Ganesh Laddu auction is very famous. People believe that Lord Ganesh's blessings are with them if they win the laddu. Also, they believe that they will get profits if they spray this laddu in the crop fields.
Balapur Ganesh Utsav committee makes laddu weighing 21 kg every year for Ganesh Utsav and this tradition has been on since 1980. However, the tradition of auctioning the laddu began in 1994. Every year since then, the laddu auction has been going on with great enthusiasm.
In 1994, Kolanu Mohan Reddy had bought the laddu for Rs450. However, in 2020, the laddu auction was stalled due to the pandemic and hence the Utsav committee handed over the laddu to the Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. In 2019 Kolanu Ram Reddy had won the Balapur laddu in the auction for 17.60 lakhs.
MLC Ramesh Yadav who won the laddu said that he prayed to Lord Ganesh for the good health of the Telugu state people and that he will give the Balapur Laddu to Andra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy.
In the auction, if local people win then the money will be given to them in the next year's auction. In the case of non-locals, they will be given the money on spot.
Let's take a look at who won the Balapur Laddu from 1994 to 2021..
1994 - Kolanu Mohan Reddy - Rs450
1995 - Kolanu Mohan Reddy - Rs4,500
1996 - Kolanu Krishna Reddy - Rs18,000
1997 - Kolanu Krishna Reddy - Rs28,000
1998 - Kolanu Mohan Reddy - Rs51,000
1999 - Kallem Pratap Reddy- Rs65,000
2000 - Kallem Anjireddy - Rs66,000
2001 - Raghu Nandan Achari - Rs85,000
2002 - Kandada Madhava Reddy - Rs1,05,000
2003 - Chigirintha Bal Reddy - Rs1,55,000
2004 - Kolanu Mohan Reddy - Rs2,01,000
2005 - Ibrahim Shekhar - Rs2,80,000
2006 - Chigurintha Thirupathi Reddy - Rs3,00,000
2007 - Raghunandan Achari - Rs4,15,000
2008 - Kolanu Mohan Reddy - Rs5,07,000
2009 - Saritha - Rs5,10,000
2010 - Kodali Sridhar Babu - Rs5,25,000
2011 - Kolanu Brothers - Rs5,45,000
2012 - Pannala Govardhan Reddy - Rs7,50,000
2013 - Thigala Krishna Reddy - Rs9,26,000
2014 - Singireddy Jaihind Reddy - Rs9,50,000
2015 - Kolanu Madanmohan Reddy -Rs10,32,000
2016 - Skylab Reddy - Rs14,65,000
2017 - Nagam Thirupathi Reddy - Rs15,60,000
2018 - Srinivas Guptha - Rs16,60,000
2019 - Kolanu Rami Reddy - Rs17,60,000
2020 - Auction cancelled due to pandemic
2021 - Ramesh Yadav and Shashank Reddy - Rs18,90,000
