Hyderabad: Balapur Ganesh to impress devotees at Ayodhya Ram Mandir-themed pandal

"This time we chose the Ayodhya Ram temple theme so as to give a unique and spiritual experience to the devotees,” said Kallem Niranjan Reddy, president, Balapur Ganesh Utsav Samithi.

Hyderabad: Balapur Ganesh this year is set to impress devotees with a pandal inspired by Ayodhya Ram temple. Every year, organizers install a unique theme-based pandal for Balapur Ganesh with the last time being the theme of Vijayawada Kanaka Durgamma temple and earlier, the Yadadri temple theme.

“This time we chose the Ayodhya Ram temple theme so as to give a unique and spiritual experience to the devotees,” said Kallem Niranjan Reddy, president, Balapur Ganesh Utsav Samithi.

---

Like last year, the Balapur Ganesh idol will be of 15 feet. However, this time idol has been decked up with the narrative of ‘Ksheera Sagara Madhanam’, involving devas and asuras.

This year too, Tapeswaram Honey Foods will be presenting the laddu to the Balapur Utsav Samithi. The 21-kg ‘Bangaru Laddu’ as the Balapur locals refer it to had bagged a record prize of Rs.27 lakh in the auction held last year.

The auctioning of Balapur Ganesh laddu dates back to 1994, when it was bid by a local farmer, Kolan Mohan Reddy, for Rs 450. Mohan Reddy after distributing laddu prasadam to his family and locals, sprinkled it in his farm and the yield going up considerably resulted in the belief that the laddu here ushers in health, wealth and prosperity.

The Balapur Utsav Samithi spends the amount generated through auctioning of the laddu on various developmental activities in the local area, including construction and renovation of temples, providing infrastructure in the school and installation of surveillance cameras in the neighbourhood.