'A piece of paradise': Balapur laddus dearer this year; sold at Rs.24.6L

Hyderabad: Famous Balapur Laddus have fetched an all-time record price of Rs. 24.60 lakh this year. The tough auction was won by Vangeti Lakshmareddy. Devotees from both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh participated in the auction for the 21-kg laddus which is considered to bring good luck, prosperity, and happiness to the winning person.

This year's bid is way higher than last year's. In 2021, the bid was won by Marri Shashank Reddy and YSRCP MLC Ramesh Yadav at Rs.18,90 lakhs. The auction normally happens before the centralized immersion process starts from Balapur on Friday.

Vangeti Lakshmareddy

This year, the auction was started after performing pooja for the laddus. Ministers Sabitha Indra Reddy, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, former MLA Thigala Krishna Reddy, ZP chairperson Thigala Anita Reddy and other political leaders participated in the programme. 28 people took part in the auction held this time.

History of Balapur Laddu Velam Pata

Balapur Ganesh Laddu Velam Pata (the auction) has been going on for the last 26 years. Every year, 21 kg of laddus are prepared. The tradition of Balapur Laddus started in 1980, but the auction started in 1994. In the first auction, the laddus were sold at Rs.450 by K Mohan. Popular belief is that the laddus believed to be Lord Ganesha's prasad, remove all evils.

In 2020, the auction could not take place due to Covid-19.

Ganesh idols immersion

Meanwhile, preparations have been finalized for the immersion of Ganesh idols in the city on Friday. The 19 km Shobha Yatra will start from Balapur and culminate at Hussain Sagar.

Security arrangements for the same have also been completed. Around 24,000 policemen and 122 armed platoons are stationed in the procession areas. In addition to this, 75 CCTV cameras, 4 cameras mounted on vehicles, and 10 drones have also been installed in the procession route. The entire procession will be monitored from the Integrated Command and Control Centre in Banjara Hills.