Bangalore (Karnataka), 28th October 2020: Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Dharmothana Trust led by Dr. Veerendra Heggade of Dharmasthala has been nominated for the Kannada Rajyotsava Award by the Government of Karnataka. The Rajyotsava Prashasti or Rajyotsava Award, the second-highest civilian honor of the Karnataka state of India is conferred annually by the Karnataka Government on the occasion of the establishment of the state on 1 November celebrated as the Kannada Rajyotsava.
Shri Dharmasthala Dharmothana Trust is actively engaged in the renovation of temples and other monuments of historical, architectural, and religious importance. Dharmothana trust contributes 40% of the cost and the rest is borne by Government [40%] and locals [20%]. This has been led by Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade the Dharmadhikari of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala. Though these projects are mainly funded by the Trust, active involvement of the local community and government agencies is sought so that the restored temple becomes a part of the life of those living around it. All donations made to the Trust by donors from around the country are channeled to the local fund to help ease their financial strain.
Determined to salvage and restore monuments to their pristine glory and bring them into the mainstream of life, Shri Veerendra Heggade established the trust. Dr. Heggade is a connoisseur of an ancient temple, Architecture, historical monuments, and antiques, he has promoted Dharmothana Trust for the renovation of historical buildings in the state of Karnataka. Sri D Surendra Kumar, younger brother of Sri Heggadeji has taken a keen interest in the execution of the operations of the trust and has been instrumental in executing many successful projects.
Till date projects of 247 monuments have been completed covering 25 districts of Karnataka and the trust has spent over Rs. 2600 Lakhs. It is worth noting that 37 Jain temples have been renovated by the trust.
It is a matter of pride for the team at Jain Heritage Centres (JHC) that the team at JHC had the opportunity to work on one such project undertaken by Dharmothana Trust, i.e. the renovation of Sri Parshwanath Swamy Digambar Jain temple, Makodu, Mysuru district, Karnataka.
The team at JHC and Makodu temple trust congratulates Dr. Heggade Sir and the team at Dharmothana Trust on being chosen for the award.
– Jain Heritage Centres News Service (JHCNS)