The end of the Ganesh festival in some Telugu-speaking states is marked by the auctioning of the prasad. This year, residents of Sun City in Hyderabad pooled Rs 60.8 lakh to buy a giant ladoo
All major ladoo auctions in Hyderabad happen on the last day of Ganesh Chaturthi. PTI
How much are you ready to shell out for a ladoo? A couple of hundreds? Thousands? Well, residents from Hyderabad spent lakhs for the sweet.
A ladoo fetched Rs 60.8 lakh during an auction on the eleventh day of the Ganesh festival in Richmond Villas in Hyderabad’s Sun City.
According to a report by Telangana Today, the auction was part of the annual fundraiser activity organised by RV Diya Charitable Trust.
What’s the big deal about this ladoo, one of the most expensive in India?
A ladoo celebrating humanity
The Sun City auction was crowd-funded by around 100 to 200 residents who got together after the final day of Ganeshotsav. They raised Rs 60.8 lakh by bidding among themselves.
All major ladoo auctions in Hyderabad happen on the last day of the festival. This year, owing to the large-scale celebrations some auctions took place during the weekend too. Devotees believe that ladoo brings them good luck, health, wealth and prosperity.
Dr Saji D’Souza, a resident of Richmond Villas, told NDTV that many residents chipped in for the ladoo. He said, “There are Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs among us, but the only religion we all believe in is humanity. Ganesh Utsav is a great opportunity for all of us to come together and celebrate humanity.”
According to a report by Times Now, the Sun City ladoo fetched Rs 41 lakh last year and Rs 27.30 lakh in 2020.
The amount received through the auction will be spent on charity.
Ladoo auctioning, a tradition
According to a report by Hindustan Times, ladoo auctioning is a tradition in Telegu-speaking states. The winner of the auction is believed to get Lord Ganesh’s special blessing.
A decades-old tradition, it is said that the winner has to distribute the sweetmeat among his or her family members and friends while the remaining portion should be stored in a rice bag. If the winner is a farmer, he is asked to scatter the remaining portion on his field in all directions.
The auctioning of the ladoo marks the beginning of the immersion processions.
Other ladoos that went on auction
The second-most expensive ladoo that went under the hammer this season fetched Rs 45 lakh at the Marakatha Shree Lakshmi Ganapati Utsav Pandal in Kanojiguda of Secunderabad. The highest bid was made by Venkata Rao and his wife Geetapriya. According to a report by the New Indian Express, the couple had also bagged the sacred sweetmeat at last year’s auction.
The famous ladoo of Balapur was auctioned for Rs 24.6 lakh in Telangana. According to The Indian Express, the ladoo – called the Golden Ladoo – was won by Vengeti Laxma Reddy. This year, the auction fetched an additional Rs 5.7 lakh more than last year.
With inputs from agencies
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