Devotees vow to gift the purchased items to their near and dear ones
Like every year, a variety of items offered to Lord Ganesha by devotees as a token of their love and faith were auctioned this year as well, on Saturday evening. The auction, at Lalbaugcha Raja pandal in Parel, kick-started with the sale of a 100 gm silver coconut for Rs 7,000.
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An auction of the offerings was held yesterday. Pic/Datta Kumbhar
Other offerings include a Nano car and other items made out of gold and silver, such as chains, rings, modaks, figurines of a mouse, swings, Ganesh idols, crowns, diamond-studded houses and many more. One of the devotees, Nitin Davda, has been attending the auction for the past nine years. Davda, a resident of Lalbaug, tries to buy as much items as he can afford at the auction.
“A few years ago, I faced heavy losses in my business and I was in a bad situation. But here I am today, buying all these things at the auction. All this is due to my faith in Raja,” said Davda, adding that they purchase these items at the auction for their dear ones, and not for themselves.
“These things are gifted to our loved ones on special days and occasions. I also gift the silver and gold coins, Laxmi and Ganesh idol and modaks I buy at the auction to my business clients,” he added. Mahesh Jadhav, treasurer of Lalbaughcha Raja mandal said, “The total money collected at the auction today and yesterday amounts to Rs 55 lakh.
The 90 items sold today include a silver Ganesh idol weighing 5kg, which was sold for Rs 2.75 lakh, among many other items. The donated money amounts to Rs 6,900,000 excluding the coins and receipts.”