The Balapur Ganesh laddu auction in Hyderabad reached a new high of Rs 39 lakh in 2026, with Sama Praneeth Reddy of Vanasthalipuram winning the traditional auction after nine new participants registered for the event.
The auction was held at Balapur, where the annual bidding for the Ganesh laddu attracts devotees and participants from across the city. Registration for bidders required a fee of Rs 5,000. The entry of nine new participants increased interest in this year’s auction, according to the report.
The winning bid exceeded the Rs 35 lakh paid for the laddu in 2025 by Rs 4 lakh. Lingala Dasarath Goud was the winner last year. The 2026 result also continued a long-term rise in the auction value, which stood at Rs 450 when the event began recording bids in 1994.
The auction was not held in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It resumed in 2021, when the laddu was bought jointly by Ramesh Yadav and Marri Shashank Reddy for Rs 18.90 lakh. The price rose to Rs 24.60 lakh in 2022, Rs 27 lakh in 2023, Rs 30.01 lakh in 2024 and Rs 35 lakh in 2025.
The Balapur Ganesh laddu auction has therefore become an annual public event as well as a marker of the festival’s continuing prominence in Hyderabad’s civic and cultural calendar. The auction draws attention beyond Balapur because it is followed by a large procession through several densely occupied parts of the city.
Following the auction, the Balapur Ganesh Shobha Yatra is scheduled to proceed towards Hussain Sagar. The 16-kilometre route will pass through Balapur, Chandrayangutta, Falaknuma, Charminar, Afzalgunj, MJ Market and Abids before reaching Tank Bund.
The route connects southern Hyderabad with some of the city’s busiest and most historic commercial, transport and public areas. It includes the Charminar precinct, Afzalgunj, MJ Market and Abids, making the procession a significant movement across the city rather than a local neighbourhood event. The report did not provide details of traffic diversions, road closures, public transport changes or police deployment.
The auction’s price history shows how the event has expanded in monetary scale over more than three decades. The winning amount crossed Rs 1 lakh in 2002, Rs 10 lakh in 2015, Rs 20 lakh in 2022 and Rs 30 lakh in 2024. The latest bid is the highest recorded amount in the history listed in the report.
The auction and procession also illustrate how religious events intersect with the management of Hyderabad’s public spaces and transport corridors. While the bidding takes place at Balapur, the subsequent procession extends across multiple localities and key city routes. The next official milestone is the completion of the Shobha Yatra from Balapur to Tank Bund via the announced 16-kilometre route.
