Mumbai, Oct. 1 -- Gold and silver ornaments and other valuable items received by the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal were auctioned on Wednesday, with sentimental devotees quoting prices way beyond the items' material value. The biggest attractions at the auction were a one-kilogram gold bar, which had a reserve price of Rs.1.48 crore, and a 141-gram 18-carat gold Ganesha idol with a reserve price of Rs.15.65 lakh. The auction, which commenced shortly after 5pm and continued till midnight, also featured gold and silver ornaments, gold modaks, silver maces, cricket bats, a sitar and two motorcycles. Representatives of the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal said that the one-kilogram gold bar was bought for Rs.1.55 crore by Vishwajeet Deshmukh. The total funds generated from the auction were still being reviewed and an announcement about the same would be made on Thursday, they said. In 2025, the mandal had auctioned 108 gold and silver articles for Rs.1.65 crore. A 56-gram silver Ganesha idol, which had an opening price of Rs.5,000, had fetched Rs.50,000; silver modaks were sold for Rs.41,000 and Rs.61,000; a silver mooshak had fetched Rs.38,000; and a silver gada was sold for Rs.25,000. The 2024 auction by the mandal had generated Rs.2.35 crore. Among the most expensive items were a one-kilogram gold bar that had fetched Rs.75.9 lakh and a gold necklace weighing nearly one kilogram that had fetched Rs.74 lakh. The auction had to be extended as all the items could not be auctioned in one session. This year, the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal received Rs.6.12 crore in cash donations, representatives said. Out of the total amount, Rs.3.53 crore was collected via donation boxes on stage, Rs.2.42 crore via donation boxes placed along the queues and Rs.16.14 lakh via the immersion donation box. In comparison, the GSB Seva Mandal at King's Circle, widely regarded as Mumbai's richest Ganpati mandal in terms of valuables offered by devotees, recorded collections worth more than Rs.20 crore this year, said Satish Nayak, a former trustee of the mandal. The collections included funds received via donations, pooja receipts, auction proceeds, advertisements and branding. "We do not auction gold and silver ornaments offered to the deity as a rule, as per the directions of our swami (priest). We auction only about five items, more for namesake," he said. This year, the GSB Seva Mandal's collection from the auction was Rs.5 lakh, he added. One of the unusual items auctioned by the mandal this year was a traditional 'tandla mudo', which could hold around 40 kgs of rice. The mudo, which was used in rituals during the Ganpati festival, fetched Rs.1.25 lakh. "Many mud Ganpatis and pujas were performed using the rice stored in the mudo. Last year we had 85,000 pujas; this year it crossed 99,000," Nayak said. Funds raised by both the mandals are channelled towards various charitable and social initiatives. The Lalbaugcha Raja mandal uses its auction proceeds for social, educational and medical activities, with a substantial portion going towards medical assistance, dialysis centres and hospital-related expenses. Meanwhile, the GSB Seva Mandal plans to establish a hospital in Mira-Bhayandar, for which land was purchased in 2004, said Nayak. "This year, a portion of the funds will be directed towards drought-prone areas of Maharashtra, besides other social causes," Nayak said. A devotee at the Lalbaugcha Raja auction also hoped that the mandal would donate to drought-prone areas in the state....