An auction of the 21-kg Balapur Ganesh laddu during Ganesh Visarjan celebrations in Hyderabad ends with a record bid of ₹39 lakh. The winner is identified as Sam Praneeth Reddy of Vanasthalipuram, who competes against eight other bidders to secure the laddu.
All accounts describe the tradition as long-running and trace it to 1994, when a similar offering was auctioned for a much smaller amount, with initial bids starting as low as ₹450. The outlets also agree that the auction proceeds are directed toward Ganesh Puja celebrations and related community development activities. Differences between sources are mainly in the framing and specific figures cited for earlier auctions: one outlet highlights the 1994 sale price, while another emphasizes how bids begin at ₹450 and notes that the funds support puja and development.
Overall, the reports align on the event, the record-winning bid, the laddu’s weight, and the continuity of the auction tradition dating back to the mid-1990s.
