For the first time ever,no laddu for Khairatabad Ganesh devotees

If there is something that every ardent devotee of the Khairatabad Ganesh idol waits for, it is the distribution of the iconic laddu to devotees on the 11th day of the festival.

This year hundreds who lined up for laddu at temple in Khairatabad were in for a huge disappointment. The laddu weighing 4200 kilos had turned bad and was not given to anyone.

The organizers say they got the laddu tested and turns out it had gotten spoilt over the 10 days of the festival and if distributed it could affect the health of people eating it.

The laddu has now been put into the Hussain Sagar Lake, the same lake where the Khairatabad idol was immersed.

A symbol of Hyderabad’s Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, this laddu is made in East Godavari district 1700 kilometers away from Hyderabad and costs over Rs 12 lakh to make. Suruchi Foods in Tapeswaram in East Godavari district has prepared the laddu. They used 1,600 kg of sugar, 1,000 kg of Bengalgram, 900 kg of cow ghee, 200 kg of cashew, 100 kg of almond and 50 kg of elaichi for making a huge laddu.

So big in size, cranes are used to place it on the hand of the idol on the first day of the festival. 10 days later, after the idol is immersed, it is then distributed to devotees.

Many ardent followers say this is the first time in the history of the Khairatabad Ganesh that the prasad has turned bad and had to be disposed off into the lake.

- Sakshipost