What comes to mind during the Ganesh Chaturthi are the staggering double digit feet tall idols of Ganesha. The favorite designs, it is one of India’s most artistic festival. The 9-day Utsav carries so much work and dedication, people dance around the idol, pray and hope for the best year ahead.

But, it is the final day of the 9days which will last for a long time, and on the top of many things that happen on that day, it is the price of the Ganesha’s Laddu. The massive laddu that is placed in front of the idol for the 9 days, that values so much to everyone.

And on this subject, it is Hyderabad’s Ganesh laddu that tops the charts in India. While its origin story dates back to 1994 when it was just Rs 450. Over the years, the auctioning of the Balapur Ganesh laddu has grown only bigger, no becoming the country’s costliest sweet.

The never ending beeline of people gathered at the event, the beyond expectations kind of price it will be sold, everything people do to lay their hands on the laddu is worthy, and the story has it all.

Just like every year, this year too, the tone has been set for the auctioning of the laddu on the final day of the festivities on Tuesday. About 25 bidders have already registered their names to participate in the laddu auctioning and the Balapur Ganesh Ustav Samithi is expecting more participants this time, as the last year’s laddu was sold for a record breaking Rs 14.65 Lakh.

According to the sources, the new participants have to pay Rs 1,000 to take part in the auction and bidders who have successfully bid for the laddu earlier have a free entry. This apart, non-residents of Balapur will have to pay the auctioned money on the same day while locals have time till next year’s bidding to pay up. The money generated through the auction is used for developmental activities in the Balapur region.

Meanwhile, K Niranjan Reddy, the president of Balapur Ganesh Ustav Samithi was quoted saying, “We have made elaborate arrangements for the auction. All the participants who had successfully bid earlier can take part. Pooja will start at 5 am on Tuesday and later the Ganesh idol will be taken out for procession locally. The auctioning of the laddu will begin at 9 am.”

The story behind Laddu:

People dearly call this ‘Golden Laddu’ or Bangaru Laddu’ as they believe that buying it brings good luck, health, and wealth. This Laddu’s epic tale was originated on 1994 when it was stolen by some people amidst the tight security.

The first man to purchase it is a farmer named Kolan Mohan Reddy, he brought the laddu for Rs 450 and it is the happenings after his deed that changed his life. Mohan Reddy distributed the laddu among family members, to locals and sprinkled the rest in his farmland. Subsequently, the vegetable yield in his farm increased and his life changed. As the laddu brought good luck to him, he managed to successfully bid for it five times so far in the 23 years of auctioning.

After this series of success stories of the Laddu, the auctioning of Balapur Ganesh laddu has set a trend for others and it has now become a mandatory custom in every pandals across the country. It all started with hundreds of rupees and landed in lakhs.

It was a realtor named Skylab Reddy who bought the laddu for whopping Rs 14.65 lakh in 2016, so far, this is the record that replaced Vijayawada’s Laddu that priced around Rs 12.75 Lakh.

Watch the video here: 

Related Article: Everything You Must Know About The Mysterious & Unspoken Female Form Of God Ganesha