Balapur Laddu Auction Closes at Rs 39 Lakh as Hyderabad Bids Farewell to Ganesh
Hyderabad's Ganesh Chaturthi auctions closed with Balapur's laddu at Rs 39 lakh and a Rs 1.01 crore bid at Keerthi Richmond Villas.
Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Hyderabad drew to a close on Friday with processions, towering idols and the customary auctioning of laddu prasadam, a practice that has grown from a single village ritual into a citywide tradition.
At Balapur, the laddu was won by Sama Praneet Reddy for Rs 39 lakh, Rs 4 lakh more than the previous year's winning bid. The auction was scheduled for September 25 at 9:30 am, after the final puja and the village procession.
The Balapur auction is the oldest and most closely watched of the city's laddu sales. It began in 1994, when farmer Kolan Mohan Reddy bought the laddu for Rs 450. Bids crossed Rs 1 lakh in 2002 and Rs 10 lakh in 2015. In 2024, the laddu fetched Rs 30.01 lakh, and in 2025 Lingala Dasrath Goud of Karmanghat paid Rs 35 lakh, a record at the time.
Elsewhere in the city, community auctions produced even larger figures. A 5-kg laddu sold for Rs 1.01 crore at Keerthi Richmond Villas in Bandlaguda Jagir on September 22, with the Shaktiman group placing the winning bid.
Kohinoor by Auro Realty in HITEC City recorded Rs 30,50,001, while My Home Bhooja drew Rs 25 lakh and My Home Mangala in Kondapur Rs 21,11,116. Other notable bids included Rs 13.66 lakh at Raghupathi County in Pragathinagar, Rs 13.56 lakh at Lansum Etania in Rajendranagar, Rs 13.50 lakh at Nellore Labodara, Rs 13.21 lakh at Indis Viva City, Rs 13 lakh at Pragathi Nagar and Rs 10.05 lakh at Devisthan Homes in Kukatpally.
My Home Avatar saw a bid of Rs 8.20 lakh, followed by Rainbow Vistas Phase 1 at Rs 7.50 lakh, Aparna Sarovar Zicon at Rs 5 lakh, My Home Vihanga at Rs 4.20 lakh, Kakatiya Nagar at Rs 3.70 lakh, Minakshi Skylounge at Rs 3.20 lakh, Aparna Towers at Rs 2 lakh and Sri Sai Ram Towers at Rs 1.60 lakh.
For devotees, the auctioned laddu is regarded as prasadam rather than a sweet, and many bidders associate taking it home with blessings, prosperity and good fortune. The proceeds are typically used by residential associations for the following year's celebrations, community activities or charitable work. At Keerthi Richmond Villas, the funds have been linked to charitable efforts through the RV Diya Charitable Trust, including support for education and healthcare.
What began as a modest practice at Balapur has spread to apartments, gated communities and neighbourhood pandals across Hyderabad, becoming a fixture of the city's Ganpati celebrations.