Hyderabad’s famed Balapur laddu to go under hammer

The Balapur Ganesh laddu, believed to bring prosperity, will be auctioned on Saturday in Hyderabad. Since 1994, politicians, farmers, and businessmen have bid for it, with last year’s 21-kg ‘Bangaru Laddu’ fetching ₹30.01 lakh

Hyderabad: Apart from being a cynosure of Ganesh festivities in Hyderabad, Balapur Ganesh laddu is believed by many for changing the fortunes. From farmers, realtors, politicians to entrepreneurs, successfully bidding for Ganesh laddu is seen as a blessing that transforms their lives.

The belief took birth with the first bidder Kolan Mohan Reddy, a farmer, who bid the laddu for Rs.450 in 1994 and claimed sprinkling it in his farm had resulted in high yields. Driven by this, the Kolan family bought the laddu 10 times.

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Politicians too considered it as a sign of luck to boost their prospects and after being mayor from 2002 to 2007, Teegala Krishna Reddy became a legislator after successfully bidding for the laddu in 2013. Even realtors and entrepreneurs claim their business flourished after taking the laddu in the auction.

Last year, the laddu went under hammer for Rs 30.01 lakh, and this year, the 21-kg ‘Bangaru laddu’ is set to be auctioned on Saturday.

Balapur laddu auction: Top bidders

1994: Kolan Mohan Reddy – Rs 450
1995: Kolan Mohan Reddy – Rs 4,500
1996: Kolan Krishna Reddy – Rs 18,000
1997: Kolan Krishna Reddy – Rs 28,000
1998: Kolan Mohan Reddy – Rs 51,000
1999: Kallem Anji Reddy – Rs 65,000
2000: Kallem Pratap Reddy – Rs 66,000
2001: G Raghunandan Chary – Rs 85,000
2002: Kandada Madhava Reddy – Rs 1,05,000
2003: Chigirintha Bala Reddy – Rs 1,55,000
2004: Kolan Mohan Reddy – Rs 2,01,000
2005: Ibram Shekar – Rs 2,08,000
2006: Chigirinta Tirupati Reddy – Rs 3,00,000
2007: G Raghunandan Chary – Rs 4,15,000
2008: Kolan Mohan Reddy – Rs 5,07,000
2009: Saritha Rs 5,10,000
2010: Kodali Sridhar Babu – Rs 5,35,000
2011: Kolan Brothers – Rs 5,45,000
2012: Pannala Goverdhan Reddy – Rs 7,50,000
2013: Teegala Krishna Reddy – Rs 9,26,000
2014: Singi Reddy Jaihind Reddy – Rs 9,50,000
2015: Kallem Madhan Mohan Reddy – Rs 10,32,000
2016: Kandhadi Skylab Reddy – Rs 14,65,000
2017: Nagam Thirupathi Reddy – Rs 15,60,000
2018: Teretipalli Srinivas Guptha – Rs 16,60,000
2019: Kolan Ram Reddy – Rs 17,60,000
2020: Presented to CM
2021: Ramesh Yadav & Marri Shashank Reddy – Rs 18,90,000
2022: Vangeti Lakshma Reddy – Rs 24,60,000
2023: Dasari Dayananda Reddy – Rs 27,00,000
2024: Kolan Shankar Reddy – Rs 30,00,001