Balapur’s 21 Kg laddu will not be auctioned off this year

The laddu, supposed to bring prosperity and happiness, was auctioned off for Rs 17.6 lakh last year.

Hyderabad’s Balapur Ganesh Utsav Samithi’s annual tradition of auctioning the 21-kg laddu, meant to bring prosperity and luck, will be discontinued this year. The tradition had been going on for 25 years.

On the morning of the 11th day of the puja, the auction for the laddu begins. A 20-km procession to Hussainsagar follows the puja.

This year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, several traditions have been discontinued by the samithi. A 6-feet ganesh idol instead of a 21-feet idol would be set up this year.

The puja would not be open for devotees. Infact, only committee members would be allowed to visit the Ganesh pandal on the day the idol is installed.

Whether a procession would go from Balapur to Hussainsagar would be decided based on the guidelines of the state government.

“Due to the Covid situation, we are forced to drop the tradition of auctioning prasad. Every year, ten to fifteen persons from different parts of the country bid for the laddu, and the highest bidder takes the prasad home,” Kallem Niranjan Reddy, president of the committee told the Indian Express.

“We have not heard from the state government on guidelines for this year’s Ganesh Utsav. There is no word from the Bhagyanagar Utsav Samithi, too. We have decided to go ahead with a 6-feet tall idol and restrict devotees from visiting the pandal,” he added.

In 2018, the laddu was auctioned off for Rs 16.6 lakhs.

The Ganesh utsav would commence on August 22nd and idols would be immersed on September 1st.