The boom in real estate post-bifurcation may spur realtors to bid for ‘laddus’ offered to the Lord Ganesh during the nine-day Vinayaka Chaviti celebrations. It is the handsome return that encourages them to participate in laddu auctions.
Going by the escalating prices of land in and around the city, laddu auction is likely to fetch mind-boggling amounts, feel pandal organisers. Taking cue from their counterparts in Hyderabad, organisers here started the practice of auctioning laddus a few years ago.
Though the initial response was not encouraging, there has been a rise in the number of bidders in recent years. Last year, the auction fetched more than Rs.1 lakh for organisers at Penamaluru, while those who put up Ganesh idols at Krishnalanka, Besant Road and One Town got a considerable sum.
“We expect more bidders to participate in the auction to be held at our pandal beside the Sri Vara Siddhi Vinayaka Swamy temple,” says Uppalapati Satyanarayana Raju of Sri Maha Ganapati Mahostava committee. The committee has offered laddus weighing 100 kg and 9 kg.
“We got Rs. 35,000 for the 100-kg laddus and Rs. 15,000 for 9-kg laddus during the auction held last year,” he says. Most organisers spend the amount received through auction on developmental projects, apart from organising the festival on a grand note.
“It is believed that laddus bring good luck to bidders, and hence, many come forward to participate in the auction. After bidding, the winner distributes it among villagers after performing the puja and sometimes sprinkles it in the fields for a better crop,” Mr. Raju adds.
When the real-estate boom was high in Hyderabad in 2006, the auction of laddu at Maheswaram fetched Rs. 7.22 lakh, while the laddu at Badangipet fetched Rs. 6.25 lakh. In Chevella, it brought more than Rs. 5 lakh, and the Ballapur Ganesh idol on the outskirts of Hyderabad fetched Rs. 3 lakh.
