Dharmasthala Ratnavarma Heggade was an Indian

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

, educationist and legislator who is best known for being the hereditary administrator (Dharmadhikari) of the Dharmasthala Manjunatha Temple from 1955 to 1968.

Early life

Born in a family called the ‘'Pergade'’. The Pergades were the feudal lords of the temple town of

Dharmasthala Dharmasthala (earlier known as Kuduma) is an Indian temple town on the banks of the Nethravathi River in the Belthangady taluk of the Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka, India. The town is known for its centuries old Dharmasthala Tem ...

. Ratnavarma completed his early education in

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...

. He married Ratnamma Heggade (née Shetty), the daughter of a wealthy landlord Sankappa Shetty of

Mudabidri Moodabidri ( kn, ಮೂಡುಬಿದಿರೆ ''Mūḍubidire''; also called Mudbidri, Moodbidre and Bedra), is a town and taluk in Dakshina Kannada district. It lies 34 km northeast of the district headquarters, Mangalore, in Karnat ...

. The couple were parents to five children, four sons (

Veerendra Veerendra was an Indian film actor, director, producer and writer who made 25 Punjabi-language films in his 12-year career. He made his debut with the film '' Teri Meri Ek Jindri,'' released in 1975, featuring Dharmendra. He was a regular in Pun ...

, Surendra, Harshendra, Rajendra) and a daughter (Padmalata).

Career

Ratnavarma Heggade's public life began when he succeeded to the post of Dharma Adhikari after his uncle Manjayya Heggade died in 1955. He transformed the village of Dharmasthala to a modern township, developing the land and buildings. He also established an education trust, to establish educational institutions during this period and served as legislator in the

Karnataka Legislative Assembly The Karnataka Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Karnataka. Karnataka is one of the six states in India where the state legislature is bicameral, comprising two houses. The two houses ar ...

from 1957 and 1962. Heggade also initiated plans to erect a statue of

Bahubali Bahubali (), a much revered figure among Jains, was the son of Rishabadeva (the first ''tirthankara'' of Jainism) and the brother of Bharata Chakravartin. He is said to have meditated motionless for a year in a standing posture (''kayotsarg ...

similar to ones at

Venur Venur or Venoor is a small village on the banks of the Phalguni river in Belthangady Taluk, Dakshina Kannada of Karnataka, India. It was once the seat of Jainism and the capital of the Ajila Dynasty. It is on the Dharmasthala-Moodabidri-Karkala r ...

Karkala ''Karkala'' also known as Karla in Tulu language, is a town and the headquarters of Karkala taluk in the Udupi district of Karnataka, India. Located about 60 km from Mangalore in the Tulu Nadu region of the state,it lies near the foothill ...

and

Shravanabelagola Shravanabelagola () is a town located near Channarayapatna of Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is from Bengaluru. The Gommateshwara Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola is one of the most important tirthas (pilgrimage des ...

. His son

Veerendra Heggade D. Veerendra Heggade (born November 25, 1948) is an Indian philanthropist and the hereditary administrator (Dharmadhikari) of the Dharmasthala Temple. He succeeded to the post at the age of 19, on October 24, 1968, the 21st in his line. He admi ...

took over the project and completed the Bahubali statue project after his untimely death in 1968.

Legacy

The Ratnavarma Heggade Tulu Drama Award is named after Ratnavarma. The prize is awarded each year during a play-writing competition sponsored by Tulukoota, a

Tulu language Tulu () in Kannada script, ml, ത‍ുള‍ു ഭാഷെ in Malayalam script. ''bhāṣe'', , ''bhāśe'', and ''bāśe'' are alternative spellings for the Tulu word ''bāse'' in the Kannada script. The correct spelling for the word ...

monthly magazine. A Stadium in

Ujire {{Infobox settlement , name = Ujire , other_name = , nickname = , settlement_type = Town , image_skyline = Siddavana gurukula.JPG , image_alt = , image_captio ...

, India is also named after him.

References

External links

Past Heggade of Dharmasthala
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heggade, Ratnavarma 20th-century Indian Jains Tulu people 1968 deaths Mysore MLAs 1957–1962 Year of birth missing Heggade family People from Udupi district