Veerendra Heggade

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Veerendra Heggade
Dr. D Veerendra Heggade at SDM College of Engineering and Technology, Dharwad.jpg
Heggade at SDM College of Engineering and Technology, Dharwad
Personal life
Born (1948-11-25) 25 November 1948 (age 76)
Bantwal, Mysore State, Dominion of India (present–day Karnataka, India)
Other namesHeggade/Pergade,Kavandaru, Dharmarathna, Dharmabhushana
Religious life
Religion Jainism
Religious career
Based in Dharmastala, Karnataka, India
Post(Hereditary administrator) of Dharmasthala Temple
Period in office1968 - present
Predecessor Ratnavarma Heggade
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (Karnataka)
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 July 2022

Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade [1] (born 25 November 1948) is an Indian philanthropist and the hereditary administrator of the Dharmasthala Temple in the Indian state of Karnataka. He succeeded to the post at the age of 19, on 24 October 1968, the 21st in his line. [2] He administers the temple and its properties, which are held in trust. He is a nominated Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha since July 2022.

Contents

He was awarded the Karnataka Ratna award for the year 2009, the highest civilian award in Karnataka. [3]

His tenure at Dharmasthala has been marked by controversy, including unresolved rape and murder cases and allegations of cover-ups by temple officials and his family members. [4] [5]

Personal life

Heggade is the eldest son of Dharmadhikari Ratnavarma Heggade and Rathnamma Heggade (née Shetty). He belongs to the Pergade dynasty of Tulu Jain Bunt [6] lineage, the hereditary trustees of the Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatha Swamy temple in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. The family are trustees of a Hindu temple, although the family belong to the Digambara Jain community. [7]

Work

He runs the Annapoorna kitchen at Dharmasthala, which is one of the largest and oldest family-run kitchens in India. The kitchen feeds around 50,000 persons every day. It was featured on the National Geographic TV show, "Mega Kitchens". [8]

He is the President of SDM Educational Society, Ujire, which manages educational institutions from primary to engineering, medical, ayurvedic and management institutes as well as hospitals. [9]

Awards and honours

Indian president Mukherjee gives Heggade the Padma Vibhushan Award, 2015 The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Padma Vibhushan Award to Dr. Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade, at a Civil Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on April 08, 2015.jpg
Indian president Mukherjee gives Heggade the Padma Vibhushan Award, 2015


Controversies

Sowjanya Murder Case

Sowjanya, a 17-year-old student, was raped and murdered in Dharmasthala in 2012, and the case remains unresolved, with the accused acquitted in 2023 due to lack of evidence. [16] Activists and the victim's family accuse influential figures, possibly connected to Heggade, of shielding the real culprits. Additionally, reports highlight around 462 unnatural deaths in Dharmasthala over 10 years (up to 2013), suggesting a pattern of systemic issues. [17]

In response, Heggade has stated that the name of Dharmasthala is being tarnished by those opposing its progress and has emphasized his commitment to serving the community despite facing criticism. [18]

Dharmasthala Mass burial

In July 2025, a former sanitation worker employed by the Dharmasthala temple administration between 1995 and 2014 alleged that he was coerced by influential figures to burn and bury the bodies of hundreds of rape and murder victims at various sites around Dharmasthala. The police registered a case under section 211(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and are seeking court permission to exhume the alleged burial sites to verify his claims. [4] [5]

On 19 July 2025, the Karnataka government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by DGP Pronab Mohanty, to probe the former sanitation worker’s allegations of secret mass burials at Dharmasthala. [19] [20]

In August 2025, the SIT arrested the same sanitation worker on charges including perjury and furnishing false evidence, a Belthangady court remanded him to 10 days’ police custody while the probe continues. [21] [22] [23] [24]

Around the same time, Veerendra Heggade describing the allegations as “baseless” and “morally wrong,” said he was “deeply hurt,” and stated that Dharmasthala would cooperate fully with a fair, transparent SIT investigation. The Temple authorities likewise issued a statement welcoming such a probe. [25] [26] [27]

References

  1. ↑ "Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade | PRSIndia". PRS Legislative Research. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  2. ↑ Long, Roger D.; Wolpert, Stanley A. (2004). Charisma and Commitment in South Asian History. Orient Blackswan. p. 369. ISBN   978-81-250-2641-9.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. 1 2 "'Have buried hundreds of bodies': former sanitation worker alleges cover-up of murders in Karnataka's Dharmasthala". The Indian Express. 7 July 2025 – via indianexpress.com.
  5. 1 2 "Ex-Karnataka sanitation worker claims he burnt bodies of rape victims for year: 'One was schoolgirl in uniform with bag'". Hindustan Times. 6 July 2025.
  6. ↑ "Who is Dr Veerendra Heggade from Karnataka and why his nomination to Rajya Sabha matters". 7 July 2022.
  7. ↑ Rons Bantwal (11 October 2011). "Dharmadhikari Dr. D Veerendra Heggade Lauds Social Welfare of Bunts Sangh". Daijiworld. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  8. ↑ "Darmasthala kitchen to feature in Geographic channel". Business Standard. 22 June 2015 – via www.Business-standard.com.
  9. ↑ "Profile of Padma Bhushan Dr. D.V Heggade". The Hindu. 15 September 2011 – via www.thehindu.com.
  10. ↑ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "News18.com: CNN-News18 Breaking News India, Latest News Headlines, Live News Updates". News18. Archived from the original on 27 January 2015.
  12. ↑ "Shri. Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade". Archived from the original on 31 January 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  13. ↑ Mangalore, Mangalore Today. "Karnataka Ratna for Dharmadhikari, Dr Veerendra Heggade". mangaloretoday.com.
  14. ↑ "Karnataka / Hassan News : Veerendra Heggade given 'Vatika Varshada Kannadiga' award". The Hindu . 22 November 2004. Archived from the original on 13 January 2005.
  15. ↑ "News18.com: CNN-News18 Breaking News India, Latest News Headlines, Live News Updates". News18. Archived from the original on 27 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "Mystery of Dharmasthala: Eleven years and many probes later, no trace of Soujanya's killer Premium". TheHindu. 28 July 2023 – via www.thehindu.com.
  17. ↑ "Protesters demand probe into all unnatural deaths in Dharmasthala". TheHindu. 16 November 2021 – via www.thehindu.com.
  18. ↑ The News Minute "Name of Dharmasthala being misused, says Veerendra Heggade"
  19. ↑ "Dharmasthala 'secret burials': Karnataka government forms SIT to probe case". The Indian Express. 21 July 2025.
  20. ↑ "SIT to probe Dharmasthala mass burial case". The Times of India. 21 July 2025.
  21. ↑ "Dharmasthala mass burial case: Complainant arrested for perjury; remanded to custody for 10 days". The New Indian Express. 23 August 2025.
  22. ↑ "Dharmasthala mass burial case: Complainant sent to 10-day SIT custody". Hindustan Times. 23 August 2025.
  23. ↑ "Big twist in Dharmasthala case, whistleblower arrested for false evidence". India Today. 23 August 2025.
  24. ↑ "Dharmasthala whistleblower arrested by SIT for fake evidence". The News Minute. 23 August 2025.
  25. ↑ "Veerendra Heggade breaks silence on Dharmasthala allegations, calls charges baseless, hurtful". Vartha Bharati (English). 20 August 2025.
  26. ↑ "Heggade rejects allegations, welcomes SIT probe into Dharmasthala claims". NewsKarnataka. 20 August 2025.
  27. ↑ "Mass murder investigation in Indian temple town amid whistleblower's claims of secret burials". ABC News. 17 August 2025.
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