Hyderabad, Aug. 29 -- The Balapur Ganesh is the oldest in the city and was installed in 1980 by the organizers. In the eighties, there were only a handful of Ganesh idols and till date, the Balapur Ganesh is the oldest idol that leads the annual Vinayaka procession to Hussainsagar.

Installed in a mandapam set up in front of the Tahsildar office, the Balapur Ganesh is famous for its laddu auction. It commenced from 1994 and continues uninterrupted till date, barring 2020 when holding it was not possible due to COVID-19 pandemic's lockdown restrictions.

In the initial year 1994, the laddu auction fetched Rs. 450 and one Kolan Mohan Reddy paid the amount, next year he paid Rs. 4500 for it. The auction process attracted global attention in ...