Move over Balapur, Marakatha Ganapati laddu auction fetches Rs 46 lakhs

HYDERABAD: Contrary to popular belief and expectations, a laddu that was auctioned at Marakatha Shree Lakshmi Ganapati Utsav pandal in Alwal Circle, fetched a record Rs 46 lakhs. A couple, who kept fiercely bidding for the laddu, eventually bagged it for an exact amount of Rs 45,99,999.

The couple, Venkat Rao and Geeta Priya, instantly shot to fame with the news spreading around. Incidentally, the record price of the Marakatha Shree Lakshmi Ganapati laddu was almost double the auction price of the famous Balapur Ganapathi laddu. This year, the Balapur laddu went for a staggering Rs 24.6 lakhs in the auction held on Friday. Lakshma Reddy was the winner of the bid at the Balapur Ganapati. But by going for almost double its price, the Marakatha Ganapathi laddu is sure to give its more famous version in Balapur a tough fight every year from now on.

The proud owners of the Marakatha laddu, Venkat Rao and his Geeta Priya, were also the winners of the sacred prasadam at last year's auction. "By the grace of Lord Ganesha, we are doing well in our lives," the couple said, expressing delight over winning the laddu auction.

Devotees participated with full religious fervour during the nine-day-long festivities including the final ceremony before immersion on Saturday. The utsav organisers said that the money that had been raised in the laddu auction would be used for the construction of the temple. The money will be utilized for 'Anna Prasadam' and to purchase the land required for the temple, they added.