The laddu offering made at the Ganesh idol at the Balapur pandal has fetched a record sum of Rs. 7.5 lakh for the organisers, when it was auctioned ahead of the commencement of the centralised Ganesh idol immersion procession in Hyderabad on Saturday morning. As many as 19 devotees bid for the laddu.
Pannala Goverdhan Reddy bid the record sum to take possession of the laddu, weighing about 21 kgs, which he plans to distribute to his kith and kin. Pannala Goverdhan Reddy is the son of former Balapur sarpanch Narasimha Reddy.
Goverdhan Reddy said that he had fulfilled the long-time dream of his father by fetching the laddu. The laddu will be sprinkled in agricultural fields with the belief that Lord Ganesha would shower his blessings.
Last year, Kolan Mohan Reddy and his brother Kolan Krishna Reddy bid highest amount of Rs. 5.45 lakh. The brothers took possession of the laddu for the fifth consecutive year.
The auctioning of laddus at Ganesh pandals began in 1994, when they fetched around Rs. 450. The money generated through the auctions is supposed to be used for the development of the neighbourhood. (INN)