An unidentified devotee offered a gold dinning set, worth around ₹50,00,000, to the Lalbaugcha Raja on Monday.
The donation, which includes a plate, two bowls, two spoons and a tumbler — all made of gold — collectively weighs 1.2kg.
Office bearers at the mandal said this is one of the “most expensive gifts” they have received in their 86 years of existence.
“This mandal keeps getting such offerings in gold and silver every year. But, the value of this offering is the highest ever so far. We do not know who has donated this,” said Balasaheb Kamble, president of the mandal.
Last year, the Lalbaugcha Raja had received a gold Ganpati idol, with a diamond encrusted on its crown, weighing around 1.2 kg. It’s value was estimated to be around ₹42 lakh. During the auction, the idol, which had a base price of ₹31 lakh, was sold for ₹35.75 lakh. The second highest item to be auctioned last year was a gold bar, weighing around 1kg, which was sold for ₹31.25 lakh.
The approximate collection, in cash and kind, was around Rs12 crore last year, and the mandal raised ₹1.58 crore from auctioning the gold items.
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