VISAKHAPATNAM: The 78-foot Gajuwaka Ganesh idol became a crowd-puller after the giant laddu, weighing about 29,465 kg, was put on display near the pandal on Wednesday.
The laddu was brought from Tapeswaram in East Godavari district late Tuesday night. The laddu was prepared by Sri Bhakthanjaneya’s Suruchi Foods, a popular confectionary in the state.
The mammoth laddu was brought by a container truck at the lowest speed from Tapeswaram in East Godavari district.
The laddu was offered (bhog) to the elephant god on Wednesday morning and the priests performed a special puja in the presence of local ministers and members of Visakha Integrated Social Welfare Association (VISWA). Later the puja committee members displayed the laddu for public.
“Special ramps have been set up at the puja pandal for the people and since morning, we have received a large number of footfalls,” said Palla Ramana of VISWA
“Ealrier, we thought it would be tough while keeping the laddu on display. But we took the help of an expert team which have brought the laddu safely and placed it at the pandal with help of a 70-tonne crane,” added Ramana.
According to the VISWA, the laddu prasadam will be offered to the devotees from Thursday. The laddu weighs 29,465 kg and along with the base it would be around 32,000 kg. The laddu costs around `30 lakh. The members also said that special prayers will be offered daily and immersion ceremony will take place at the venue itself on September 26.
Guinness World Records
Around 20 to 25 persons exclusively worked for the preparation of the laddu for four days. A video of the laddu preparation with 12 cameras was shot and were planning to send it to the Guinness World Records.