Balapur Ganesh laddu auction: Hyderabad businessman bids record Rs 39 lakh for 21kg laddu | Hyderabad News
HYDERABAD: The annual auction of the famed Balapur Ganesh laddu fetched a record Rs 39 lakh during the Ganesh Visarjan celebrations in Rangareddy on Friday.Sam Praneeth Reddy, a 35-year-old businessman from Vanasthalipuram associated with Arban Reality Group, won the prestigious 21-kg Balapur Ganesh laddu with a bid of Rs 39 lakh, news agency ANI reported.Thousands of devotees attended the annual auction. After the final bid, Reddy celebrated the win by posing with the Balapur Ganesh laddu.Reddy recently returned to India from the United States and started his business under the name ‘Arban Groups’. He secured the winning bid against eight other participants in the auction.Last year, Lingala Dasharath Goud won the laddu for Rs 35 lakh.The practice of auctioning the laddu, which is considered auspicious by people in the area, began in 1994. It was bought for just Rs 450 in the first auction, and the tradition has continued every year, ANI reported.A portion of the auction proceeds is kept aside for Ganesh Puja celebrations the following year, while the remaining amount is used by organisers for developmental programmes in the Balapur area.Meanwhile, the grand Shoba Yatra in Balapur village has begun, with devotees set to immerse Lord Ganesha’s idol to mark the conclusion of Ganesh Chaturthi.Earlier, VHP National Spokesperson Ravinuthala Shashidhar expressed his excitement over the Balapur Shobha Yatra.Talking to ANI, he said, “The public has gathered on the streets, prepared to welcome the Lord. Comprehensive arrangements have been made for this mass immersion event; the government, the administration, and the police department have taken appropriate decisions and put proper systems in place.”“Devotees are participating in an atmosphere of patriotic fervour, helping to carry our culture forward. The event is about to start; although there is a delay of about an hour, the immersion is expected to be completed by 2 PM. There is great enthusiasm surrounding the Balapur Ganesh,” he added.Ganesh Chaturthi marks the celebration of Lord Ganesha’s birth and is observed with the installation of idols, prayers, devotional offerings and festive gatherings.The festival is particularly prominent in Maharashtra, where elaborate public celebrations and processions are organised.The immersion processions are being held amid security arrangements by local authorities and police to facilitate the movement of devotees and ensure public safety, ANI reported.Leaders and organisers have also appealed to people to follow directions issued by authorities and maintain a peaceful atmosphere during the concluding celebrations.With the immersion marking the culmination of the festivities, devotees across Maharashtra and other parts of the country are participating in processions and offering prayers before bidding farewell to Lord Ganesha.(With agency inputs)
