Balapur Ganesh 2010 image
Balapur Ganesh Laddu 2010, the popular laddu auction in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, fetches Rs. 5.35 lakhs for the Ganesh Utsava Samithi of Balapur. Last year the price of Ganesh Laddu was 5.1 lakh and this time it gets 25 thousands more. Due to Real Estate boom in Hyderabad, the price of the laddu has been substantially increasing since 1999. Kodali Sridhar of Miyapur is blessed with Balapur Laddu in 2010 Auction.
As per the official website of Balapur Ganesh:
The genesis of auctioning the Ganesh Laddu which has become customary at every single Ganesh’s idol in the country began in Balapur in 1994, fourteen years after the actual tradition started (1984). Balapur is the first village in the whole world to have begun the auctioning of the Laddu (considered as a boon to one who buys it).
It is the belief of everyone that the laddu brings good luck to the bidder who won the auction. Later, the winner would distribute it among the villagers and would also sprinkle some of it in the fields for a better crop.
The auctioning arrangements for the gathered people are completed by 6 A.M. in the morning of the eleventh day. Devotees from various places and states come early in the morning to visit the Balapur Ganesha mandap and witness the auction. To meet the requirements of such a huge crowd, the streets are arranged, a stage is set with the complete audio system, Decors, water supply and breakfast arrangements (Mostly organized by volunteers).
The actual auctioning procedures begin from 9 A.M. in the morning of the Immersion Day. After the Ganesh Utsav Committee Members and guests give their words of praise and broadcast the importance of the day to the gathered multitude (people in the range of lakhs), the auction is commenced by Mr. Vangeti Laxma Reddy with the initial bid of Rs. 1,116 (One Thousand One Hundred and Sixteen Rupees).