In Hyderabad, the Richmond Villa-Sun City laddoo was bought for a record Rs 60.8 lakh
Ganesh laddoos offered as 'prasad' (sacred offering) in Hyderabad seem to be outdoing each other this festive season. After a laddoo at Marakatha pandal was auctioned for Rs 45 lakh on Saturday, the Richmond Villa laddoo was bought for a record Rs 60.8 lakh.
This #GaneshLaddoo is probably the most expensive in the world !! It was sold for Rs 60.8 lakh in #Hyderabad as part of a unique auction where instead of competing individually, everyone's '#LadduPrice' is taken cumulatively & used for charity @ndtv@ndtvindia#LadduForRs60lakhpic.twitter.com/14QnmI4zIw
— Uma Sudhir (@umasudhir) September 12, 2022
Local residents believe laddoos bring good luck, health and prosperity. The auctioning of laddoos marks the beginning of the Balapur Ganesh idol immersion procession in Hyderabad.
The history of laddoo auctions in Hyderabad dates back to 1994 when local farmer Kolan Mohan Reddy bid Rs 450 for the famous Balapur laddoo.
This year, the Balapur laddoo was sold for Rs 24.60 lakh. This was followed by the Marakatha Shree Lakshmi Ganapati Utsav Pandal laddoo that fetched nearly Rs 46 lakh. Now, the Richmond Villa-Sun City Ganesh laddoo has broken all previous records.
Speaking to NDTV, Dr Saji D'Souza, a resident of Richmond Villa-Sun City, said about 100 residents had got together to purchase the laddoo. "Among us are Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, but the only religion we all believe in is humanity. Ganesh festival is a good occasion for all of us to get together and celebrate humanity," he said
The residents started the tradition with Rs 25,000. Like crowdfunding, they decided to accept contributions from all residents to pay for the laddoo. With the number of contributors growing every year, the RV Diya Charitable Trust was set up that now funds up to 17 NGOs in supporting education and health for the less-privileged.
When the Marakatha Shree Lakshmi Ganapati Utsav Pandal laddoo was auctioned for Rs 44,99,999, it was the highest individual bid for a laddoo in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
This year, while the Balapur laddoo was bought by local farmer and realtor V Laxma Reddy for Rs 24.60 lakh, couple Geethapriya and Venkata Rao bid Rs 45,99,999 for the Sri Lakshmi Ganapati laddoo of Kanajiguda Marakata. Visuals showed the couple posing with the laddoos.
Mr Rao, who is associated with a University in the United States, was seen carrying the laddoo on his head. "Money from the auction will be used to develop the temples in Balapur," said Mr Rao, who is also a member of the Samithi.
