Two popular confectioneries from Rajahmundhry prepared huge ‘laddus’ of 31,401 kg and 29,645 kg packed with a variety of dry fruits, yellow camphor and dollops of cow ghee for the 10 day Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations.

Sri Bhakta Anjaneya Sweets and Suruchi Foods made both 'Maha laddus' costing between Rs 40-50 lakh were offered to the elephant-headed deity at separate pandals in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam districts of Andhra Pradesh where eco-friendly Ganesh idols as tall as 76-feet and 78-feet have been installed for the festivities.

Two other ‘laddus’ weighing 1,000 kg and 500 kg each, also prepared by these two sweet marts from Tapeshwaram in East Godavari district, were sent to two pandals in Andhra Pradesh besides the Khairatabad Ganesh in Telangana, Hyderabad.

Meanwhile, owners of both the shops claimed that they have set various records for making huge 'laddus'. "This year, we prepared a 'maha laddu' weighing 31,401 kg (excluding the vessel weight) aspiring to secure a place in the Guinness record for the sixth time,” owner of Sri Bhakta Anjaneya Sweets Saladi Venkateswara Rao alias Srinubabu said.

“Now, we want to set the bar higher and rewrite our record which we have been holding since 2011,” he added. Rao also claimed to have supplied both the ‘laddus’ from his confectionery (of 31,401 kg and 1,000 kg) free of cost to Vijayawada-based Dundi Ganesh Samithi on September 7. Bhakta Anjaneya Sweets has received 73 national and international awards for their special sweet preparations, he added.

"A team of 13 people from Anjaneya prepared these two ‘laddus’ under the supervision of Rao. Another confectionery Suruchi Foods, which prepared the 29,645 kg laddu offered it to a Visakhapatnam-based Ganesh pandal on September 5 where the grand festivities will continue for 21 days. We also supplied another laddu (500 kg) to the tallest Ganesha in Khairtabad in Telangana,” Suruchi Foods owner Mallibabu said.

“Also, this year we got a great opportunity to serve our people abroad. We sent a 100-kg laddu to California in USA for Telugus, who have installed Ganesha there. We dispatched it on September 2 and it reached there the next day,” he claimed.

“Also, for the first time we prepared our laddus with latest technology of thermic fluids system,” Mallibabu said. “Our aim was to break the Guinness record set by Gujarat's Arasuri Ambajimatha Temple Trust which prepared a 11,115-kg laddu for Ganesh in 2015,” he added.

The 'maha laddus' were prepared using several kg of cashew nuts, almonds, yellow camphor, cardamom, Bengalgram dal, cow ghee and sugar, the makers said.Last year, a over 8,000-kg 'laddu' prepared by Sri Bhakta Anjaneya Sweets for the Ganesh celebrations had set a new Guinness Record as the largest sweetmeat of its kind for the fifth consecutive year. The 'laddu' weighed 8,369-kg (18,450 lb 7.78 oz).

Rao’s team had prepared this 'laddu' for the idol of Lord Ganesh installed at Visakhapatnam in the State during the Ganpati festival in September. The sweet mart had bagged the Guinness Record for a 5,570 kg ‘laddu’ in 2011, 6,599-kg in 2012, 7,132-kg in 2013 and 7,858-kg in 2014.

Also Read: 500 Kg Laddu for Khairatabad Ganesh

BY M. DIVYA SRI