Khairatabad Ganesh to have Telangana laddu    

Hyderabad: Of late, the laddu prasadam
of Khairatabad Ganesh has also become a talk of town. Ganesh Utsava
Committee has decided to prepare laddu locally and may also consider
if any sponsors from city or districts of Telangana come forward.

Laddu weighing six tonne on the palm of
huge Lord Ganesh idol spanning over 50 feet is always a special
attraction during the Ganapathi Navaratri. The six-tonne laddu is
made in Andhra Pradesh for Khairatabad Ganesha, but this time, it’s
going to be made locally. Kharatabad Ganesh will have Telangana laddu
from this year onwards.

PVVS Mallikarjuna Rao (Mallibabu) used
to offer laddu prasadam to Khairatabad Ganesh free of cost. Mallibabu
generally prepares laddu in his hometown Tapeswaram in Atreyapuram
mandal, East Godavari district, and offers to Khairatabad Ganesha.
The laddu prasadam is distributed on the day of procession.

Last year, Mallibabu offered six-tonne
laddu and distribution had turned out to be ruckus as Ganesh Utsav
Committee failed to control the huge number of devotees, who
scrambled for it. After this incident, Ganesh Utsav Committee has
taken a key decision to prepare laddu locally.

Sudarshan, Founder Member, Ganesh Utsav
Committee, said: “We have decided to prepare laddu locally. The
committee has also decided to keep laddu weight at five tonne. We’ll
consider the proposals on sponsorship from either city or districts
in Telangana. However, the committee will take a final decision on
sponsorship.”

Expressing his deep disappointment over
the Ganesh Utsav Committee’s decision, Mallibabu said: “The
committee’s decision is like a jolt for me. But, so far I haven’t
received any official communication from the committee. I have a
strong attachment with Khairatabad Ganesh. By the blessings of Lord
Ganesha, my business is doubling every year. I have over 200 sweet
shops in East Godavari district. Now, I’ll meet Chandrababu Naidu and
request him to allow me to offer laddu to the Ganesh to be installed
in Amaravati.”

Mallibabu for the first time in 2010
offered 500-kg laddu to Khairatabad Ganesh. It was 2,400kg laddu in
2011 and subsequently the weight rose to 6,000-kg laddu in 2015. The
six-tonne laddu prasadam preparation costs at about Rs18 lakh.