Hyderabad, September 8:
The
famous Balapur Ganesh laddu fetched a whopping Rs 9.50 lakh in the open
auction held before the start of final Ganesh immersion procession here
on Monday.
JAIHINDH REDDY made the
highest bid to take possession of the prestigious laddu for the first
time. Of 20 auctions held since 1994, Kollan Mohan Reddy won the
auction eight times. Last year, it was taken for Rs.7.5 lakh by a real
estate businessman.
Located on the outskirts of Hyderabad, the small village of Balapur
in Ranga Reddy district became famous over the years due to the auction
of its Ganesh laddu, specially prepared by Agra Sweet House, Charminar.
This year too thousands of people belonging to all communities gathered
at Balapur to witness the famous auction. The bidding started at last
year's closing price of Rs 7.5 lakh.
In 1980, when the Balapur Ganesh pandal was installed for the first
time it was named as 'Praramba Grama Vinayakudu'. But later it was
renamed 'Adi Vinayaka'. In 1994, the laddu was auctioned for the first
time and Kollan Mohan Reddy placed the highest bid of Rs 450 to get
possession of Laddu. The tradition continued and it became mandatory
that the final Ganesh immersion procession in the city would start only
after the completion of laddu auction.
The bid amount continued to rise year after year. Starting from Rs
450 in 1994, it increased to Rs 2,500 in 1995, Rs 18,000 in 1996, Rs
28,000 in 1997, Rs 51,000 in 1998, Rs 65,000 in 1999, Rs 66,000 in
2000, Rs 85,000 in 2001, Rs 1.05 lakh in 2002, Rs 1.55 lakh in 2003, Rs
2.01 lakh in 2004, Rs 2.08 lakh in 2005, Rs 3 lakh in 2006, Rs 4.15 lakh
in 2007, Rs 5.07 lakh in 2008, Rs 5.10 lakh in 2009, Rs 5.35 lakh in
2010, Rs 5.45 lakh, Rs 7.5 lakh in 2012 and this year it was auctioned
for Rs 9.26 lakh.
The Balapur laddu made a huge contribution in promoting communal
harmony. Even Muslims participated in the bidding process several times.
In the year 2002, two Muslim friends – Ahmed Saadi and Omer Bin Saleh
alias Khaisar Bam - made a strong bid for the laddu and offered to buy
it for Rs 96,000. However, one Madhava Reddy made the successful bid Rs
1.05 lakh.
The Balapur Ganesh laddu auction has not only brought the fame for
the village, but became an inseparable part of Hyderabad's rich history.
(INN)
No comments:
Post a Comment