Hyderabad: The Balapur Ganesh laddu fetched a record Rs 39 lakh at the annual auction on Friday. Sama Praneet Reddy emerged as the highest bidder.
Nine devotees participated in this year’s auction. As the bidders raised their offers, the competition intensified at the venue. Finally, Praneet Reddy secured the laddu with a Rs 39 lakh bid.
The winning amount surpassed the previous record of Rs 35 lakh. Lingala Dasharath Goud had secured the laddu for that amount in 2025.
Festival organisers and fellow devotees congratulated Praneet Reddy after the auction. The latest bid also marked another rise in the value recorded for the Balapur laddu.
Balapur Ganesh laddu auction crosses previous record
The Balapur Ganesh laddu auction began in 1994 with a bid of Rs 450. Since then, the auction value has steadily increased.
Devotees traditionally associate the laddu with prosperity and good fortune. Therefore, the annual auction attracts considerable interest during Hyderabad’s Ganesh celebrations.
Over the years, the auction has developed a distinct identity. In fact, the Balapur laddu has become closely associated with the locality’s Ganesh festivities.
The 2026 auction pushed the record to Rs 39 lakh. This was Rs 4 lakh higher than the previous year’s winning bid.
The auction crossed Rs 1 lakh for the first time in 2002. Subsequently, the bid reached Rs 10.32 lakh in 2015 and Rs 14.65 lakh in 2016.
In 2022, Ongeti Laxma Reddy paid Rs 24.60 lakh. The amount then rose to Rs 27 lakh in 2023.
Kolan Shankar Reddy secured the laddu for Rs 30.01 lakh in 2024. A year later, Lingala Dasharath Goud raised the record to Rs 35 lakh.
Early auction records
Kolan Mohan Reddy won the first auction in 1994 for Rs 450. He also secured it for the same amount in 1995.
The bid then rose sharply. Kolan Krishna Reddy paid Rs 18,000 in 1996 and Rs 28,000 in 1997.
In 1998, Kolan Mohan Reddy won again for Rs 51,000. The following year, Kallem Anji Reddy paid Rs 65,000.
Kallem Pratap Reddy raised the bid to Rs 66,000 in 2000. Meanwhile, Gundoji Raghunandanachari paid Rs 85,000 in 2001.
Kandada Madhava Reddy crossed the Rs 1 lakh mark in 2002 with a Rs 1.05 lakh bid. Chigurinta Bal Reddy then paid Rs 1.55 lakh in 2003.
Kolan Mohan Reddy secured the laddu for Rs 2.01 lakh in 2004. Ibrahim Shekhar followed with Rs 2.08 lakh in 2005.
Chigurinta Tirupati Reddy paid Rs 3 lakh in 2006. Gundoji Raghunandanachari returned as the winner in 2007 with Rs 4.15 lakh.
Balapur Ganesh laddu bids rise after 2008
Kolan Mohan Reddy paid Rs 5.07 lakh in 2008. Saritha followed with Rs 5.10 lakh in 2009.
Kodali Sridhar Babu raised the amount to Rs 5.35 lakh in 2010. Kolan Brothers then paid Rs 5.45 lakh in 2011.
Pannala Govardhan Reddy secured the laddu for Rs 7.50 lakh in 2012. Teegala Krishna Reddy raised the bid to Rs 9.26 lakh in 2013.
Singireddy Jaihind Reddy paid Rs 9.50 lakh in 2014. Kallem Madanmohan Reddy crossed the Rs 10 lakh mark in 2015.
Kandadi Skylab Reddy paid Rs 14.65 lakh in 2016. Nagam Tirupathi Reddy followed with Rs 15.60 lakh in 2017.
Teratipalli Srinivas Gupta secured the laddu for Rs 16.60 lakh in 2018. Kolan Ramireddy then paid Rs 17.60 lakh in 2019.
The 2020 record lists Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao during the Covid period without an auction amount. In 2021, Ramesh Yadav and Marri Shashank Reddy jointly paid Rs 18.90 lakh.
Recent auction records
Ongeti Laxma Reddy raised the bid to Rs 24.60 lakh in 2022. Dasari Dayanand Reddy then paid Rs 27 lakh in 2023.
Kolan Shankar Reddy secured the laddu for Rs 30.01 lakh in 2024. Lingala Dasharath Goud increased the record to Rs 35 lakh in 2025.
This year, Sama Praneet Reddy raised the amount further to Rs 39 lakh. He was identified as the chairman of Urban Group Companies in the supplied information.
The 2026 auction therefore recorded the highest amount in the Balapur Ganesh laddu auction history listed in the source.