'Magical' Balapur Ganesh laddoo fetches ₹14.65 lakh

Hyderabad's famous Balapur Ganesh laddoo fetched a record price of  ₹14.65 lakh this year, which is ₹4.33 lakh higher than last year.  

In a fierce competition on Thursday morning,  a local real estate businessman, 'Skylab' Reddy, cornered the sweet in an auction for the whopping sum of Rs 14. 65 lakh.

 “I am delighted that I won this year's laddoo in the auction.  I am fortunate to win the Prasadam,” 'Skylab' Reddy said after winning the auction, which was conducted in the pouring rain.

Last year, the laddoo fetched ₹10.32 lakh. As per tradition, the auction began with the floor rate of ₹10.32 lakh. The proceeds are spent on the welfare activities in the Balapur area by the local Ganesh Utsava  Samiti.

 

In 2015, the laddoo was bagged by Kallem Madanmohan Reddy for ₹10.32 lakh, ₹82,000 higher than the previous year. In 2014, it was cornered by  Singireddy Jayender Reddy for ₹9.50 lakh. And in 2013, TDP leader  Tegel Krishna Reddy won bid by quoting ₹9.26 lakh. 

 

The auction evokes fierce competition every year. The local neo-rich  Reddys vie with each other to corner the laddoo, as of late it has become a status symbol to own the laddoo. The winner of the laddoo instantly becomes a local celebrity. 

 

The rise of the 'laddoo auction' has also resulted in a belief that possessing the laddoo will help the winner realise his political ambitions too, in one way or the other. 

 

The laddoo is not meant for eating.  Since people believe that the laddoo has an enormous magical power, which brings riches to the winner,  the owner of the laddoo powders the sweet and sprinkles it in the fields.

 

Though of more recent origin, the Balapur laddoo, its auction and its owner have become a second major attraction of the Ganesh Nimajjanam in Hyderabad, after the Khairatabad iconic Ganesh statue. 

 

While the Khairatabad Ganesh is known for its size, the Balapur laddoo, which brought the new element 'auction' to the Ganesh festival of Telangana.

 

The auctioning of the laddoo began way back in 1980. But the popularity of laddoo reached a crescendo after 2013 when the winner of the auction, former Mayor Teegela Krishna Reddy, won the 2014 elections. 

 

People attribute his win to his bagging of the laddoo - pushing the price up. 

 

Known as Prarambha Ganesh, the Balapur Ganesha was the first to get permission for immersion in Hussain Sagar in 1980. Balapur Ganesh always leads the immersion procession in the lake.